Latest news with #NewZealandAssociationofScrabblePlayers
Scoop
3 days ago
- Sport
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New Zealand Has A New Scrabble Champion
Press Release – New Zealand Association of Scrabble Players Wellingtonian Dylan Early has become New Zealand's 45th Scrabble Champion. The premier event in NZ's Scrabble calendar drew a large field of experienced players and grand masters to Hamilton this long weekend. Early won 17 of his 24 games just ahead of Lewis Hawkins of Christchurch on 15 games and 12-times winner Howard Warner of Wellington on 14. This year for the first time, the tournament was livestreamed with commentary from expert international Scrabble players. Thousands of viewers tuned in from all over the world to share the excitement, including expert players and non-Scrabblers. The 2025 national title tops off a very impressive year for Early. He also won the 2025 NZ Masters title and was a member of the winning NZ team which took out the Trans-Tasman Championship for the first time in 14 years. Originally from South Africa, Early has a very impressive international Scrabble record. He has won the South African national championships six times and has competed in six world championships in all parts of the globe. Reflecting on his win, he says, 'This was a very exciting tournament with a tough field and gruelling schedule. The lead alternated between several top players throughout the weekend which made it very exciting for players and spectators alike. I suffered two early losses on the final day so thought my chances were over, but then my luck turned and I managed to win the next four in a row. Each game was hard-fought and I'm elated with the result and my second national title.' The National Championships attracted 68 players from all parts of New Zealand and of all ages including 12-year-old Maheu T-Pole and15-year-old Cooper Ashley from Auckland. Mount Albert Scrabble Club took out the team prize. Winners by grade are as follows: GRADE A Dylan Early (Wellington) GRADE B Murray Rogers (Golden Bay) GRADE C Lynn Wood (Wellington) GRADE D Carolyn Kyle (Dunedin) GRADE E Tei Ngatai (Australia) GRADE F Cooper Ashley (Auckland) The Georgie Trophy for the player at the tournament with the biggest ratings gain went to Glenys Hansen from the Martinborough Scrabble Club. For the full results of the National Championship or to find out more about New Zealand Scrabble and where you can join a club go to: https: To watch the livestream use the following links:
Scoop
25-05-2025
- Sport
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Watch New Zealand's 2025 Scrabble Championship Live
Press Release – New Zealand Association of Scrabble Players WHAT: 45th New Zealand Scrabble Championship WHERE: St Paul's Collegiate School, 77 Hukanui Road, Hamilton WHEN: All day Sat 31 May, Sun 1 June and Mon 2 June 2025 Seventy avid Scrabble players will be descending on Hamilton this coming King's Birthday weekend to decide who will be New Zealand's 45th Scrabble Champion. The premier event on NZ's Scrabble calendar is being livestreamed for the first time with expert international commentators. With the growing global interest in Scrabble, organisers are expecting over 10,000 views by the end of the long weekend. To tune in to the livestream go to The current national champion is Howard Warner of Wellington who has won the title a staggering 13 times. Howard is currently ranked #1 in the national standings. Trying to wrest the title from him are several New Zealand Scrabble Grand Masters and world ranked players including: Dylan Early (Wellington): Dylan won the 2025 NZ Masters Championship and is ranked #6 Chris Tallman (Mt Albert): Chris is currently ranked #2 in New Zealand Joanne Craig: A New Zealander resident in Sydney, Joanne is currently ranked #1 in New South Wales and #4 in NZ. Joanne has won the NZ Championship three times. Andrew Bradley (Mt Albert): Andrew won the 2023 NZ Masters and is ranked #9 Lewis Hawkins (Christchurch): At 21 Lewis is one of the youngest players in the Nationals. He came third in the 2025 Masters and is currently ranked 11th overall. Scrabble is a very popular game in New Zealand, and competition at all levels in the national championship is fierce but also lots of fun. Participants this year are from every part of New Zealand and are of all ages and occupations. The youngest participant is 12-year-old Maheu T-Pole from the Mt Albert Scrabble Club, and there are several competitors 80+ years old.
Scoop
21-04-2025
- Sport
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Wellington's Dylan Early Is NZ's 2025 Masters Scrabble Champion
Press Release – New Zealand Association of Scrabble Players Dylan Early of Wellington has become New Zealand's 41st Masters Scrabble Champion after a thrilling weekend in which New Zealand's top 24 Scrabble Players competed over 23 games for the title. One of the three premier events in New Zealand's Scrabble calendar, the Masters crown is hotly contested by a field of experienced players and grand masters. This weekend's tournament was decided on the very last game of the tournament. Early tied with current holder Howard Warner with 17 wins but won by having a higher spread of winning points. This year for the first time, the tournament was livestreamed with commentary from expert international Scrabble players. Thousands of viewers tuned in from all over the world to share the excitement, including expert players and non-Scrabblers. Early says of his weekend victory: 'It was a great tournament, always one of my favourites, and the livestreaming added a new dimension making the event so much more exciting. It's such a tough field and there are no easy games. Going into the third and final day, any one of the top five were in contention – with so many strong players vying for the title, the winner was going to need a strong nerve and a bit of luck. I'm thrilled to have won, albeit by the narrowest of margins. I will definitely be back next year.' Early, originally from South Africa, has been playing Scrabble for over 25 years. He started playing at University and joined a local Scrabble Club where he says, he caught the Scrabble bug. When he entered his first South African National tournament in 1993 he was 'humbled' when he failed to win a single game and came in last. This prompted him to begin studying the game and he has never looked back since. He went on to win the SA national title six times and also represented South Africa in the World Scrabble Championships. When Early arrived in New Zealand in 2017, he joined the Wellington Scrabble Club. Since then he has chalked up many and varied Scrabble victories: He won the NZ national title in 2018. He represented NZ against Australia in 2024, winning the Trans-Tasman Challenge for the first time in 14 years. He represented NZ in the World Championships in 2019 in Goa India, finishing a creditable 47th. He won the Masters Championship in 2021 and was runner-up in 2022, 2023 and 2024. He holds the record for the highest individual game score in New Zealand with an incredible 756 scored at the Masters in 2019 (Fun fact – 756 is also one of the top six scores in the world!) Dylan Early fun facts: Early is a self-confessed mnemonics addict and has over 5,000 of them as ways to remember Scrabble words. He says he now has so many mnemonics to remember, that he needs mnemonics for his mnemonics! Outside of Scrabble, Early enjoys mountain biking, chess, dog walking, Joseph Herscher videos and trying to make the perfect cup of coffee. Top ten Masters placings: Position Player Location Wins Total spread 1 Dylan Early Wellington 17 1673 2 Howard Warner Wellington /Wairarapa 17 1335 3 Lewis Hawkins Christchurch 16 1198 4 Peter Sinton Dunedin 16 825 5 Chris Tallman Auckland 16 761 6 Anderina McLean Whanganui 14 382 7 Lawson Sue Auckland 13 985 8 Gil Quiballo Wellington 13 646 9 Stanley Ngundi Wellington 12 286 10 Cicely Bruce Whangarei 12 98 If you missed the excitement, you can watch the matches here:
