Solving in the South Invercargill 2025

Henry Eyles delivered an extraordinary performance across the board at the Invercargill City Library, capturing seven out of eight titles in a dominant display of speedcubing. Over the weekend of January 11 to January 12, the young New Zealand competitor showcased remarkable consistency and rapid improvement, culminating in a winning 3x3x3 Cube average of 7.76 seconds alongside a best single solve of 7.07 seconds. The gathering served as a dynamic platform for developing talent from across the region to test their skills and demonstrate measurable progress.

The 2025 gathering brought together 18 competitors tackling 17 rounds of intense competition across eight distinct disciplines. Solving in the South Invercargill 2025 provided an electric stage for both seasoned entrants and rising local contenders. Eyles paced the field throughout the weekend, but the broader story in Invercargill, New Zealand was the sheer pace of development among the younger bracket of solvers who pushed personal boundaries round after round.

In the classic 3x3x3 Cube event, the final 3x3 results solidified the New Zealand contingent at the top of the standings. Eyles secured the victory with his 7.76 average, while Daniel Fraser took the second spot on the podium averaging 10.24 seconds. James Dyer followed in third position with an average of 10.62 seconds. The traditional Rubik's Cube remains the benchmark event, and the tight margins among the chasing pack highlighted how rapidly these competitors are honing their turning speed.

The smaller 2x2x2 Cube saw blistering paces across three competitive rounds. Eyles clinched first place with a 2.31 winning average after delivering an exceptional 1.06 single earlier in the event. Daniel Fraser took the runner-up position averaging 2.81 seconds, while Beau Brittain-Modesto of Australia earned third place with an average of 3.22 seconds and an earlier single of 1.38 seconds, securing Australia their lone podium finish across the entire cubing competition.

Beyond the podium highlights, the heart of Solving in the South Invercargill 2025 lay in the massive individual breakthroughs achieved throughout the ranks. Quade Boutcher achieved massive progress by dropping his 2x2x2 Cube personal best to 5.13 seconds, which was 68.9 percent faster than before, improved his Skewb best by 37.2 percent to 12.56 seconds, and completed a Megaminx attempt for the first time in 3:22.89. Finley Sharman took on seven events and lowered his 2x2x2 Cube best to 3.77 seconds, an improvement of 42.7 percent, while cutting 34.8 percent from his Skewb mark to hit 8.54 seconds. Sienna Childs improved her 2x2x2 Cube best by 35.2 percent to 14.65 seconds, lowered her 3x3x3 Cube best to 46.34 seconds, and took on her first ever 4x4x4 Cube attempt in 2:45.95.

First-time event attempts and sharp time drops continued across the field at this WCA competition. Arthur Theodore Ward cut his Pyraminx best by 23.4 percent to 13.52 seconds while recording his first official Skewb solve of 20.93 seconds. Julia Eyles entered all eight events, achieving an inaugural 3x3x3 Blindfolded solve of 6:26.13 to finish fifth and cutting 15.1 percent off her One-Handed mark to reach 55.80 seconds. Andrea Cochrane lowered her 2x2x2 Cube mark by 18.6 percent to 14.14 seconds. Flynn Allan entered five events, recording his first official 2x2x2 Cube mark of 4.82 seconds and first One-Handed time of 24.45 seconds on the way to eighth place in 3x3x3 Cube. Samuel Folland made his official tournament debut, tackling five disciplines and placing seventh in Skewb while posting his first 3x3x3 time of 30.32 seconds.

The longer and more complex puzzles provided further platforms for technical mastery during the weekend. In the 4x4x4 Cube, Eyles claimed the title with a 30.77 winning average, ahead of Fraser at 36.99 seconds and Dyer at 39.79 seconds. One-handed speed cubing saw Eyles average 14.71 seconds to take gold, with Fraser following at 18.16 seconds and Dyer securing third at 23.37 seconds. Eyles also triumphed in Megaminx with an average of 44.10 seconds, leading Luke Steele at 53.75 seconds and Dyer at 1:02.12.

The remaining events at Solving in the South Invercargill 2025 delivered rapid-fire action and mental stamina. Eyles completed his title sweep by winning Pyraminx with an average of 3.13 seconds over Steele and Fraser, as well as Skewb with a 4.68 average to edge Gabe Smith at 4.79 seconds. The only event Eyles did not capture was the 3x3x3 Blindfolded, where Oscar Childs triumphed with a winning single of 2:08.12, ahead of Eyles at 3:02.73 and Steele at 4:38.77.

With 23 podium finishes for New Zealand and one for Australia, the tournament provided a clear picture of rising talent finding its footing. The impressive personal strides and debut performances registered at Solving in the South Invercargill 2025 set an inspiring standard as these young cubers look ahead to their next competitive milestones.