New Zealand Has A New Youth Scrabble ChampionYouth Championships Competitors. Cooper Ashley (16) from Auckland’s North Shore has become New Zealand’s first Youth Scrabble Champion. The inaugural Scrabble New Zealand Youth Championship held in Mt. Albert on Saturday, 18 July drew a field of 14 youth players from around the country and a player from Australia, including 4 former World Youth Championship competitors. Asked about what the Inaugural Youth Championship meant for New Zealand, Ashley says:“It was a big step forward for Youth Scrabble.