Scrabble queen wins national title at 92

A 92-year-old woman has won first prize at a national Scrabble tournament.

Diana Beasley from Exeter took the B Division crown at the Final Fling event in Reading, finishing with 10 wins and a draw across 15 rounds.

Her top-scoring plays included the obscure word muriates, which means chlorides, and waxiest, earning her £200 in prize money.

"It was a bit of a surprise, really," said Beasley who has been playing Scrabble since 1964. "Most of the recent tournaments I've been in, I've been struggling to keep off the bottom, and so I was quite lucky with the letters."

"I've always been interested in words," she explained. "I think I've been playing in tournaments for getting on for 50 years now."

Beasley co-founded the Exeter Scrabble Club in 1977 and still plays weekly.

Sharing the secret to keeping her brain sharp, she said: "I try to have a sensible diet and a certain amount of exercise and get out and meet people. I live alone, so I do that."

She also plays table tennis, although now just for fun.

Her top Scrabble tip? "You've got to know lots of two-letter words. Sometimes you might have six or seven words because one word goes along beside another one, and you score all these two-letter words where they join on."

Despite downplaying her skills, Beasley's win proves experience counts.

Asked what she would do with her prize money, she laughed: "Probably more Scrabble tournaments."

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