Shane has been an avid crossword solver for many years, progressing gradually from standard cryptic puzzles to Azed/Mephisto-style barred cryptics and then to the tougher thematic puzzles. He first attempted the Listener puzzle in the mid-1990s, steadily improving and finally achieving an all-correct year in 2008 after several near misses (often due to careless transcription errors!)

Shane turned his hand to setting thematic barred puzzles (as Tiburon) and was successful in having his first puzzle published in the Listener in 2001. He has since had six further solo Listeners published, three collaborations with Roger Phillips (Kea) that appeared under the pseudonym Tibea and one collaboration with Mike Draper (Ferret) that appeared under the pseudonym Hurón (Spanish for “ferret”). He has also appeared in the Magpie 14 times and made a single appearance in the Enigmatic Variations series in 2003.

A subscriber to Magpie from its first issue, he was delighted to be invited onto the editorial team in 2007. Shane’s role at the Magpie is testing word puzzles after Mark has ‘passed’ them. He also attempts the numeric puzzles as the final tester. In 2011, Shane also took on the role of first vetter for the Listener crossword. These editing responsibilities, together with a full-time job and large family, seriously curtailed his setting endeavours, although lack of inspiration rather than time was more often the greater constraining factor. Now that he has retired, his family, including five grandchildren, occupies a majority of his time. However, he still devotes much of his spare time to crossword editing, and, ideas permitting, hopes to be setting more too.