Scrabble-loving couple who 'felt sparks' at match in Sheffield 20 years ago are never lost for words

Graham, 62, and Helen Harding, 68, have been married for more than 20 years - and met at Scrabble tournaments in the 1990s.

But it was a special match in Sheffield in 2000 where 'a spark was formed' and they 'saw each other differently'.

The couple had the same player rating in Scrabble then and still do today and have played thousands of games between them.

Graham, from East Berkshire Scrabble club, and Helen, from Leicester Scrabble club, are now taking part in the UK Open Scrabble Championship in Reading.

Graham said: "Scrabble is all about having a good vocabulary - but it is a scrabble vocabulary, not necessarily everyday English."

Helen added: "The more words you know, the more ammunition you've got!"

Graham, who was born in Berkshire, and Helen, born in Gloucester, were 'vague acquaintances' for five years after they first met until they got together after a special match in Swindon.

The pair were then in a long distance relationship - 120 miles away from one another - before they tied the knot in 2004.

Helen said the couple "spent a lot of time driving up ad down the M40" before getting married and moving in together.

They even brought their scrabble board to the wedding - where it featured a message with scrabble pieces that read 'Congratulations on your wedding day."

Scrabble was competitive game in Graham's household whilst he he was growing up in the mid 60s - and ever since his family bought him a board for Christmas one year, he has never stopped.

Graham's his best word in Scrabble was 'grazings' for 221 - and he says "at the time it was the equal record holder in the UK".

Helen took up Scrabble whilst searching for a hobby after her time at university.

She said: "I was looking around for something to do after uni, and a friend said to me, 'you're good at words, why don't you try scrabble?'

"And that was that!"

The pair have played 24 games in the UK open scrabble Championships at The Holiday Inn Reading-South - which is now taking place for the first time since the pandemic after a five year break.

It is the first time the tournament has taken place in Reading.

Helen said: "There are 67 games in total, and four separate tournaments back to back.

"We played 24 - though some people play all the matches.

"We had a lot of fun."

The event comes to a close on January 10.