By Mal Butler
It is a match which has been made in Wimbledon!
When it comes to a love-all beginning in married life, Darren Barsdell did it in style on Sunday, by proposing to his fiancée, Emily Adams, in front of thousands of spectators, and millions of people worldwide.
The Lake couple had their smashing moment captured on television as Darren bent down on one knee and proposed after the men’s final.
Thankfully for Darren, 44, a gas engineer, it was a resounding ‘Yes’ from Emily, 33, who runs her own travel company.
The couple have been dating for six years and have a two-year-old son. Darren explained: “We were lucky enough to get the Centre Court tickets for the final between Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alverez through the ballot system; I had been thinking of proposing like this for some time. I told Emily I was going to the toilet and approached a BBC cameraman filming the crowds on Henman Hill. He thought it was a great idea and, after checking with his production team, said he was happy to film it. Then I spoke to the head of security and he gave it the OK as well.
“When the match was over, we headed towards Henman Hill. I had a couple of Pimm’s and a glass of champagne beforehand as I was so nervous. After that, everything was off the cuff and it all worked out lovely for us on the day. I wouldn’t want to go through that again, so hopefully, it was a once in a lifetime gesture!”
“Emily was overwhelmed by it all and started to cry, so we went to the Cavendish Restaurant in the arena and they made us welcome and treated us to champagne. Everyone was celebrating with us.
“I was 99 per cent sure Emily was going to say yes, but my heart was racing at the time!”
As far as Darren was concerned, it was game, set and catch, with a new bride as his big prize.
Isle of Wight Observer