Over 150 athletes travelled the lengths of the UK and beyond to compete at the weekend.  The qualification rounds and finals for Under 13s and Under 17s took place on Saturday, followed by the qualification rounds and finals for Under 15s and Under 19s on Sunday.  

There was a strong presence from the England and Scotland Talent Squads, Regional Squads and Boulder UK Development Squad and Academy as well as some athletes travelling from as far as Malaysia.

This year's Chief Setter, Dave Barrans, headed-up an expert setting team, including Alex Fry, Nathan Phillips, Alice Thompson and Jamie Swales.

Plywood Masters regular, George Lonsdale, hosted the event, ensuring everything ran to time, that everyone knew what was happening when and that the athletes and the crowd were fired-up for the finals! 

This year's event was supported by Rab, Scarpa, La Sportiva, Beta Climbing Designs, Sophia Cathryn Illustrations, Madu Climb, Shoe Chalk, Gripz, Gripmasters and Ocun.

Saturday 2 August Qualification Rounds – Under 13s and Under 17s

Qualification for Under 13s kicked off at 9.30am, straight after the athlete and judge briefings, followed by Under 17s at 12.30pm.  Volunteer judges, including athletes from other categories, judged each problem.  

Alongside the experienced athletes, there were many climbers who were taking their first steps into the world of competition climbing.  The athletes were given a maximum of 5 attempts on each qualifying boulder, so the pressure was on to make each go count. 

The qualification round for Under 13 Girls and Under 17 Girls was nail-bitingly close with the top 3 athletes separated only by top attempts.

Toma Crome took the lead for the Under 17 Boys, as the only athlete to top 9 out of the 10 qualification boulders.  A total of 8 Under 17 boys made it through to the finals, given the large number of competitors in this category.

Qualifying for the Finals in Under 13 Girls 

1. Elsa Taylor
2. Georgina Donovan
3. Valerie Jasmine-Tang
4. Eliza Hill
5. Nancy Moxon
6. Betsy Coomber

Qualifying for the Finals in Under 13 Boys

1. Freddie Johnson
2. Jacob Bourke
3. Harry Wood
4. Ently Gordon
5. Aden Varga
6. Thomas Charlesworth

Qualifying for the Finals in Under 17 Girls

1. Bella Ryder
2. Mary Falconer
3. Emily Chan
4. Romany Bell
5. Erin Grace-Ashton
6. Charlotte Willcox

Qualifying for the Finals in Under 17 Boys

1. Toma Croome
2. Spike Fullwood
3. Ethan Maxfield
4. Kit Watson-Evans
5. Ruaridh Goodall
6. Zac Hong
7. Charles Wardrop
8. Stan Westmoreland 

In-between the qualification round and finals, Esteban's Food van provided much needed recovery food, after which, the athletes went into isolation whilst the setters prepared the finals blocs, making any last-minute adjustments. 

Leah Crane Designs, Sophia Cathryn Designs and Climbers Against Cancer all had stalls. 

Saturday 2 August Finals – Under 13 & Under 17

The Under 13s finals took place on our main competition wall from 3.45pm, following the European Youth Final format, with boys and girls having 4 minutes to climb each of the 4 blocs, followed by 4 minutes rest.

It was a close competition between Eliza Hill and Georgina Donovan in Under 13s, who both topped 3 of the finals boulders.  Georgina was the only climber to top the first boulder, which she flashed.  Eliza went on to flash the second boulder, which Georgina climbed on her second attempt.  Eliza topped the third boulder on her second attempt, the only climber to complete this problem and, in doing so, seized the overall win!

The Under 13 Boys proved to be a tough final, with Thomas Charlesworth taking first place, after qualifying for finals in 6^th place, by topping the last boulder on his second attempt, proving his determination and climbing prowess.   

The Under 17 finals kicked off at 6.45pm.  Competition was once again close between Bella Ryder and Mary Falconer who both flashed the second and third boulder problems.  Bella managed to secure the zone on the 4^th boulder two attempts ahead of Mary, to gain the win.

In Under 17 Boys, the top 3 athletes climbed all 4 boulder problems, with Toma Croome raising the bar and taking the win by flashing the first and third boulder problems.  Ethan Maxfield moved into the second spot, ahead of Spike Fulwood on attempts to top on the final boulder, climbing it on his 7^th try!

Finals Results

Under 13s Boys Finals 

1. Thomas Charlesworth
2. Freddie Johnson
3. Jacob Bourke
4. Harry Wood
5. Aden Varga
6. Ently Gordon

Under 13s Girls Finals

1. Eliza Hill
2. Georgina Donovan
3. Elsa Taylor
4. Betsy Coomber
5. Nancy Moxon
6. Valerie Jasmine-Tang

Under 17 Girls Finals  

1. Bella Ryder
2. Mary Falconer
3. Romany Bell
4. Charlotte Willcox
5. Emily Chan
6. Erin Grace-Ashton

Under 17 Boys Finals  

1. Toma Croome
2. Spike Fullwood
3. Ethan Maxfield
4. Kit Watson-Evans
5. Charlie Wardrop
6. Ruaridh Goodall
7. Zac Hong
8. Stan Westmoreland

Sunday 3 August 25 Qualifiers

Sunday's timetable, this time for the Under 15s and Under 19s categories, followed the previous day's. 

Under 15 Girls proved to have an incredibly strong field with Polly Taylor, Eva Smith and Elysia Land all topping 9 of the 10 boulders during the qualification round.  

Will Duncan gave a standout performance in Under 15 Boys, the only athlete in the whole competition who managed to climb all 10 qualification blocs.

In Under 19 boys James Ainge and Henry Watson both climbed 7 of the qualification blocs, with James progressing into finals in first place on zone attempts.

In Under 19 Girls, Lucie Cooper qualified for finals in first, as the only girl to top 9 of the 10 boulders.    

Qualifying for the Finals in Under 15 Girls

1. Polly Taylor
2. Eva Smith
3. Elysia Land
4. Fara Ross  
5. Winnie Lea
6. Poppy Wright

Qualifying for the Finals in Under 15 Boys

1. Will Duncan
2. Benjamin Livermore 
3. Arthur Ogden
4. Nima Arielli-Celebicic
5. Marley Lynch
6. Oscar East

Qualifying for the Finals in Under 19 Girls

1. Lucie Cooper
2. Sienna Chapleo 
3. Ingrid Ledingham
4. Maisy-Ros Lanyon

Qualifying for the Finals in Under 19 Boys

1. James Ainge
2. Henry Watson
3. William Decker
4. Alfie Cordiner
5. Bert Harris
6. Lucas Melia
7. Tom Hamer
8. Archie Tolland

Esteban's food van returned to refuel the athletes and spectators in between the qualifying and finals rounds.  Climbers Against Cancer and Sophia Cathryn Designs had stalls.

Sunday 3 August 25 Finals – Under 19 and Under 15

The Under 15s final took place from 3.45pm and the Under 19 from 6.45pm.

Eva Smith put in a strong performance in Under 15 Girls, to top 3 of the 4 blocs, the only girl to do so, securing first place.

Will Duncan defended his Under 15 Boy's first-place qualifying position with a top of the last boulder.  Marley Lynch was the only competitor to climb the second boulder securing him a spot on the podium in third place.

In the Under 19 Girls, Sienna Chapleo took the win ahead of Lucie Cooper by gaining the zone on the second boulder.  

In Under 19 Boys James Ainge retained his first-place position from qualifications, the only boy in his category to top three boulders.

Finals results

Under 15 Girls Finals 

1. Eva Smith
2. Elysia Land
3. Winnie Lea
4. Polly Taylor
5. Fara Ross  
6. Poppy Wright

Under 15 Boys Finals 

1. Will Duncan
2. Benjamin Livermore 
3. Marley Lynch
4. Arthur Ogden
5. Nima Arielli-Celebicic
6. Oscar East

Under 19 Girls Finals 

1. Lucie Cooper
2. Sienna Chapleo 
3. Ingrid Ledingham
4. Maisy-Ros Lanyon

Under 19 Boys Finals 

1. James Ainge
2. William Decker
3. Bert Harris
4. Tom Hamer
5. Archie Tolland
6. Henry Watson
7. Alfie Cordiner
8. Lucas Melia

Please see our website for the full set of results:  Youth Plywood Masters 2025 - Boulder UK

Congratulations to the winners and thanks to the staff at Boulder UK, volunteers, athletes and parents for helping to make the event possible.

Extra special thanks to Cat Rose for training over 70 judges and acting as Jury President and Michelle Horden and Megan McDermott-Hughes for managing the various isolations and helping to make the event run smoothly.

The Under 19s finals will remain up at the centre until 28 August 25, for any athletes who fancy a re-match or anyone else who would like to try them.  Dave Barrans & Alice Thompson are all regular setters at Boulder UK, in addition to Neil Mawson & Jamie Swales, for any athletes who would like to train on this style of boulder.

"It was another successful event and great to see so many youth athletes having fun, encouraging each other and getting stuck in. Massive thanks to our Boulder UK Team, awesome route setters, Cat Rose, Michelle Hordern, volunteer judges, event sponsors and everyone else who made this event possible!"

Neil Mawson and Tanya Meredith, Owners of Boulder UK