by Ian Marshall, ITTF Publications Editor

Following their return home, they kept in close contact with each other.

Plucking up courage and in the manner of a true chivalrous gentleman, Daniel picked up the telephone; he called Luz and posed the question: “Would you like to be my girlfriend?”

There was no hesitation. Luz was smitten. They met again last year in early April at the ITTF-Latin American Olympic Games Qualification tournament in the Chilean capital city of Santiago and love blossomed.

“It is difficult have a relationship at a distance but it is not impossible, every time when a person from either of our countries travelled to the other, we sent a present with them”, Daniel Brown

In due course, Daniel visited the Dominican Republic, Luz travelled to Panama and one of her visits, Daniel, hopefully down on one knee, popped the question.

Once again the request was accepted and despite Daniel living in Central America and Luz in the Caribbean, plans progressed smoothly.

Now there is a phrase that the bride should wear “something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue”, they are tokens of good luck her wedding day.

I have no idea whether Luz wore something old, something new or something borrowed but the colour was no problem; she possesses the Blue Badge, the highest umpiring award

They will live in Arraijan, Panama.