Wiltshire September 2024

One hundred and thirty-eight competitors gathered over the weekend of September 21 to September 22 for Wiltshire September 2024, setting up a fast-paced battle across sixteen rounds of action. Hosted at the Olympiad Leisure Centre in Chippenham, Wiltshire, United Kingdom, the cubing competition featured eight diverse puzzles. Across two packed days, competitors pushed their limits in everything from short sprints to grueling multi-layer puzzles. Right from the outset, the focus shifted to who could control the larger events, and one solver established complete authority over the weekend schedule.

Daniel Partridge put together an extraordinary individual campaign across the big cube disciplines, taking three decisive titles. In the 5x5x5 Cube, Partridge claimed the top spot with a winning average of 51.70, accompanied by a best single of 48.11, finishing ahead of Danny Morgan in second with a 53.67 average and Jake Brown in third with 57.91. That victory set the tone for the remaining large layers, demonstrating remarkable consistency across multiple complex rotations and intricate edge-pairing stages.

Partridge carried that momentum straight into the 6x6x6 Cube, securing another gold medal with an average of 1:32.79 and a best single of 1:23.65. Danny Morgan once again finished in the runner-up position with a 1:37.40 average, while Jake Brown took third on the podium with a 1:54.82. The dominance reached its peak in the 7x7x7 Cube, where Partridge secured his third victory of the weekend with a 2:13.53 average, including a fast single of 2:03.41, besting Harvie Partridge who posted 3:06.44 and Oliver Richards who took third in 3:14.16.

The classic Rubik's Cube featured three rounds of intense action among 126 entrants, providing some of the most anticipated 3x3 results of the tournament. Caleb Wolf Dunn navigated the final round with composed speed to capture the 3x3x3 Cube title, recording an average of 7.43 and a standout single of 6.16. Danny Morgan earned second place on the podium with an average of 7.64, while Daniel Partridge rounded out his prolific medal haul with a bronze finish on a 7.75 average.

Speedcubing excellence continued in the shorter formats, where the 2x2x2 Cube went through four full rounds to determine the fastest hands. Luke Burns emerged victorious among 104 competitors, securing the title with a 1.56 average and a single of 1.09. Danny Morgan claimed another podium finish in second place with a 1.60 average, while Satya Bhavesh Gala placed third with a 1.90. The 2x2x2 field produced rapid-fire execution from start to finish, highlighting the depth of talent throughout the bracket.

Beyond the primary cube events, Aidan Grainger proved untouchable in both Megaminx and Clock. In the twelve-sided Megaminx, Grainger delivered a 31.07 winning average with a 27.64 single, beating Oliver Richards with 42.71 and Daniel Partridge with 45.48. Grainger doubled up in Clock, winning with a 3.78 average over Luke Burns at 3.90 and Caleb Wolf Dunn at 4.10. Meanwhile, the 3x3x3 Blindfolded event required pure memorisation and flawless tactile execution, where Adam Devere took first place with a single of 29.66, followed by Ben Stokes at 30.15 and Ashwyn Wadhawan at 50.97.

Away from the top of the podium, numerous solvers achieved massive personal breakthroughs throughout Wiltshire September 2024. Vinh-Dieu Lam sliced a staggering 56.4 percent off their 2x2x2 Cube personal best, taking it down from 31.02 to 13.53. Morgan Ashley made enormous gains across two events, dropping their 2x2x2 best by 56.2 percent to 4.94 and cutting their 3x3x3 single by 37.4 percent down to 23.07. Yui-Lam Wong produced a 37.6 percent improvement in the 2x2x2 Cube with a 2.67 single, while also registering their first ever attempt at 5x5x5 Cube in 2:10.72 and Megaminx in 1:23.47. Jen Gilbert showed great progress by taking 34.1 percent off their 2x2x2 personal best down to 7.30 and recording their first ever Clock attempt in 15.16.

The weekend also served as an open frontier for competitors tackling unfamiliar disciplines for the first time. Theo Devere made a first ever attempt at the 6x6x6 Cube with a time of 5:53.88 while cutting their 2x2x2 personal best by 30.7 percent down to 3.64. Rowan Davey completed their first official attempts in both the 7x7x7 Cube at 9:05.17 and the 6x6x6 Cube at 6:05.16, alongside a 21.6 percent personal best in Clock of 8.59. Joanna Cocco logged first ever attempts at 5x5x5 Cube in 3:05.40 and 7x7x7 Cube in 10:56.00, while lowering their 3x3x3 personal best by 20 percent to 22.41. Sebastian Richards earned a best finish of 22nd in 3x3x3 Blindfolded on a first ever attempt of 3:04.01, rounding out a memorable weekend of speed cubing.

The action at Wiltshire September 2024 concluded with all twenty-four available podium spots earned by competitors representing the United Kingdom across the eight disciplines. From the tactical stamina displayed across the larger puzzles to the rapid precision on display in blindfolded and specialist events, the 2024 gathering in Chippenham demonstrated the strength of the community. Every solver who stepped up to the tables contributed to a competitive WCA competition that will serve as a strong standard heading into the next season.