August Bank Holiday Crawley 2024

Ben Stokes delivered the standout performance of the Bank Holiday by clocking a stunning 18.94 single in 3x3x3 Blindfolded, alongside a finals-winning 20.93 mark. Staged at Hazelwick School in Crawley, West Sussex, United Kingdom, August Bank Holiday Crawley 2024 brought 48 competitors together for an intensive single-day WCA competition on August 26, 2024. Across six diverse events and eight rounds, the competition hall buzzed with focused energy as solvers tackled everything from side events to massive NxN puzzles.

The venue at Hazelwick School provided an ideal setting for high-level speedcubing, with competitors managing intense visual and mental demands under competition conditions. In addition to classic Rubik's Cube style events, the schedule placed significant emphasis on memory disciplines and large-cube dexterity. Fans watching the speed cubing action saw competitors move seamlessly between fast-paced mechanical scrambles and silent blindfolded runs, highlighting the full spectrum of modern cubing competition talent.

The blindfolded events produced top-tier drama throughout the hall. In the 3x3x3 Blindfolded event, Ben Stokes secured the top podium step with a 20.93 single in the second round, having also posted an impressive 25.83 average in the opening round. Mengfei Shen of China earned second place with a time of 33.02, while Harry Savage took third place with a 45.71 single. Solvers memorising piece locations without sight captivated spectators, proving once again why blind solving remains one of the most respected disciplines.

Mengfei Shen returned to the stage to dominate 4x4x4 Blindfolded, claiming first place with a winning average of 3:07.61 and a best single of 2:59.48 across 16 competitors. Callum Hales-Jepp locked in second place with an average of 5:38.42, while Jake Brown rounded out the podium in third with an average of 5:14.09. The lengthy reconstruction times and razor-thin margin for error made the four-layered blindfolded round one of the most intense tests at August Bank Holiday Crawley 2024.

Beyond the podium battles, several competitors achieved remarkable milestones across their individual disciplines. James Tuppenney took on four events and delivered major progress, improving his 3x3x3 Blindfolded mark by 49.3 percent with a 1:12.64 single, cutting his Square-1 best by 47.1 percent down to 13.06, and posting a first ever attempt at 7x7x7 Cube in 3:54.25 to secure a 9th place finish in 3x3x3 Blindfolded. Zachary Fogg achieved a 36.1 percent drop on Square-1 with a personal best of 10.45 while logging a first ever attempt at Megaminx in 1:02.80. Zachary Bryant tackled five events, slicing 22.8 percent from his Square-1 time to reach 34.26, trimming Megaminx by 22.6 percent to 1:35.18, and completing a first ever attempt at 7x7x7 Cube in 5:33.73. Alexander Lilley-McCamley contested six events, registering a first ever attempt at Square-1 of 30.67, a first ever attempt at 5x5x5 Cube of 1:25.27, a first ever attempt at 3x3x3 Blindfolded of 2:56.64, and earned 5th place in 4x4x4 Blindfolded.

That drive extended through the field as more participants logged career-defining results. Yan-Heng Zhang dropped his Square-1 best by 36.2 percent to 14.35, improved his 7x7x7 Cube mark by 11.7 percent to 4:19.46, and lowered his 5x5x5 Cube best by 6.3 percent to 1:15.64. Sam Williams achieved a 7th place finish in Square-1, logged a first ever attempt at 7x7x7 Cube of 7:05.02, and earned double-digit improvements on Megaminx with 1:35.88 and 5x5x5 Cube with 1:40.44. Jamal Saddeque managed an 18th place finish in 3x3x3 Blindfolded during a first ever attempt of 3:44.39 while improving his 7x7x7 Cube time by 12.8 percent to 4:49.15. Steve Clarke tackled two events, achieving an 8th place finish in 4x4x4 Blindfolded with a first ever attempt time of 24:56.00.

In the big cube events, Bart Sekulski of Poland captured victory in the 5x5x5 Cube over two competitive rounds, setting a winning average of 54.17 with a best single of 50.31 among 40 competitors. Jake Brown finished second with a 56.47 average, followed by Malaysia's Ainesh Sevellaraja in third at 1:00.24. In the 7x7x7 Cube, Mark Ostrom took the title with an average of 2:37.95 and a best single of 2:29.27, leading Bart Sekulski with 2:45.32 and Jake Brown with 2:47.05.

The specialised side events concluded the program at August Bank Holiday Crawley 2024 with tight finishes. Sean Moran won Megaminx with a 33.44 average and a 29.07 single against 35 competitors, topping Ainesh Sevellaraja at 46.86 and Sophie Gilbert at 47.44. In Square-1, Austin Ritchie took victory with an 8.85 average, edging Dorian Chan of Hong Kong at 8.94 and Ben Stokes at 10.58. The host nation collected 11 podium finishes alongside strong showings from China, Poland, Malaysia, and Hong Kong.

The gathering at Hazelwick School illustrated the depth of talent present across every puzzle tier, from big cubes to intricate shape modifications. With an array of personal milestones recorded alongside fast 3x3 results in blindfolded brackets, August Bank Holiday Crawley 2024 demonstrated how an energetic hall and dedicated community produce memorable performances across the board as the competition schedule heads into the next season.