Hampshire Winter 2024

James Alonso delivered the standout performance of the weekend at Barton Peveril Sixth Form College, capturing the main event with a blistering 7.39 second average in the final round of the Rubik's Cube. The victory came on the heels of another commanding display on the shorter format, where Alonso also claimed top honours with an electric 1.36 second average. His consistency set the pace for a full weekend of high-calibre solving across twenty rounds of intense head-to-head tournament action.

Hosted in Eastleigh, Hampshire, United Kingdom, Hampshire Winter 2024 transformed the college venue into a bustling hub of competitive solving from February 17 to February 18, 2024. A total of 135 competitors assembled in the hall, filling the venue with the rhythmic clatter of plastic mechanisms and timer resets. Across nine official events, the cubing competition delivered non-stop action across every format, drawing entrants from across the region and beyond for two days of premier speedcubing competition.

The premier 3x3 results saw Alonso hold off a determined challenge from Danny Morgan, who finished runner-up with a 7.51 average, while Sean Moran secured the third podium step with a 7.92 mark in a field of 131 entrants. Alonso also took the single best solve in the final round at 6.88 seconds. In the 2x2x2 Cube, Alonso sealed his double title with his 1.36 average, followed by Morgan in second at 1.87 and Satya Bhavesh Gala also posting an identical 1.87 average for third.

In the larger twisty puzzles, Harvie Partridge commanded the 4x4x4 Cube, posting a tournament-best 30.14 second average and a single of 27.10 seconds across two rounds of play. Ben Stokes took second with a 32.84 average, ahead of Sean Moran in third at 33.39 seconds. Moran found his own top podium finish in Megaminx, navigating the twelve-sided puzzle to victory with a 33.19 average and a 30.67 single, well clear of Oliver Richards in 44.58 and Danny Morgan in 46.90 seconds.

Beyond the podium battles, significant milestones were set throughout the roster. Sebastian Loveday-Lam tackled six events and logged a Pyraminx personal best of 5.69 seconds, improving by 66.4 percent, while also recording a first attempt in Megaminx of 2:58.87 and a first 3x3x3 One-Handed time of 44.71 seconds. Rowan Davey completed six events, cutting 45.8 percent off their 3x3x3 Cube best to reach 14.06 seconds, alongside first attempts in 3x3x3 One-Handed at 1:02.38 and 4x4x4 Cube at 1:29.28. Wayne Francis Cole achieved 35th in the 3x3x3 Cube, set a 2x2x2 Cube personal best of 3.28 seconds, and recorded debut attempts in the 4x4x4 Cube at 1:23.72 and one-handed solving at 27.33 seconds. Kieran Kenyon dropped their 3x3x3 Cube personal best by 64.3 percent to 10.45 seconds and recorded a first 4x4x4 Cube attempt of 50.06 seconds.

Cliff Lam tackled seven events, finishing 34th in the 4x4x4 Cube, setting a 3x3x3 Cube personal best of 7.08 seconds, and logging debut marks in Megaminx at 1:06.23 and Pyraminx at 5.42 seconds. Monty Blackwell registered a 3x3x3 One-Handed personal best of 1:06.55, alongside debut attempts in the 2x2x2 Cube of 5.93 seconds and 4x4x4 Cube of 1:54.67. Maverick Chiu took on six disciplines, dropping their 2x2x2 Cube mark to 2.28 seconds, logging a one-handed best of 31.33 seconds, and finishing a first Megaminx attempt in 2:14.35. Edmund Finch completed all nine events on the schedule, earning fifth in 5x5x5 Blindfolded, lowering their 2x2x2 Cube best to 2.83 seconds, and posting initial blindfolded attempts of 1:27.14 on 3x3x3 and 11:28.00 on 4x4x4.

The one-handed event drew 79 competitors across three rounds of play, where Joseph Briggs captured first place with an average of 11.98 seconds and a single of 11.18 seconds. Sean Moran followed in second with 13.06 seconds, while Fabio Schwandt rounded out the top three with 13.16 seconds. In the Pyraminx competition, Edward Burgess claimed the championship with a 2.29 second average and a best single of 1.69 seconds, prevailing over Harry Savage at 2.41 and Jason Harley at 2.63 seconds.

Memory and execution were tested in the blindfolded events, where competitors inspect the puzzle and perform their solution under a blindfold. Ben Stokes secured double gold in the category, taking the 3x3x3 Blindfolded title with a 19.63 second single and winning the 4x4x4 Blindfolded event in 3:15.11. Thomas Patterson finished second in both blindfolded events before capturing the 5x5x5 Blindfolded title with a winning single solve of 6:55.64. The blind solving schedule highlighted the high technical standard present throughout this WCA competition.

The final rounds at Hampshire Winter 2024 brought a conclusion to two full days of high-level speed cubing at Barton Peveril Sixth Form College. Across all nine events, the United Kingdom contingent collected all 27 podium positions awarded over the weekend. With fast averages, remarkable personal progress across the entry list, and a lively atmosphere in Eastleigh, the weekend provided an outstanding showcase of competitive solving.