PES Rankings Tournie - UK Southern Leg Report

For all England's blunders in the world of international football, we more than made up for it this past weekend at the Southern leg of the official Konami Pro Evo Soccer Rankings Tournament. Displaying dazzling digital footwork and glorious game pad skills for almost nine hours straight, the 300-odd entrants from across the UK put Rooney himself to shame with their virtual take on the great game. Ultimately however, it was Scottish-born, long-time champ Rob Mclean who walked away the victor, besting runner-up Urizen 3-1 in the final.

Held in the plush Royal Oak Suite of the Emirates Stadium, the floor was decked out in PS2 pods from top to bottom. With demand for entry far exceeding expectations though, the bullpen proved a frenetic madhouse in its initial hours, with organisers coping admirably amidst the upbeat chaos. When combined with the pre-canned cheering of so many PS2s blasting out in unison, this relentless hustle and bustle created an atmosphere not unlike taking a seat in the stadium proper.

''Broken up into a preliminary league stage followed by a knock-out tournament, the contestants of the event were split into 36 groups on arrival. Here they played seven matches each, accumulating points along the way, with the top two from each group progressing on to the finals. At just five minutes a game though, the need to dish out justice and strike the ball into the back of the net was all too palpable, with early smiles and signs of sportsmanship gradually giving way to triumphant cheers and beery "GOAL!"s. As numbers thinned and the knock-outs loomed, the aural brutality echoing throughout the Emirates was replaced with a far tenser quietness, signifying an end to the 1000-odd fixtures played in this group stage alone.

After a 5-1 win over Ben Andrews in the quarter-finals, the highlight of the event came when soon-to-be-crowned-winner Rob Mclean squared off against pza (aka darkchicken) in the semis. A nail-biter of epic proportions for the UK champion, it was certainly one that'll go down in the history books.

''An early goal against Rob was met with thunderous applause from onlookers - no doubt shocked and surprised to see the table's turned against him for once - but it was shortly taken back at the mere flick of a wrist along with two more to seal the lead. A successful penalty in the second half provided a glimmer of hope for darkchicken however, while an unfortunate deflection soon evened the score completely. With time ticking and vocal tensions mounting between the two combatants, a second penalty finally awarded Rob the winning goal he'd been searching for.

The final, by comparison, provided some respite. An early goal from Rob gave him the lead, while a cheeky follow-up in the second half placed him even further out in front. Urizen - previously beating fellow player bananza for his spot in the final - put in a valid effort however, taking back the latter almost immediately in true style. Despite much encouragement from the side lines though, a curling beauty from Mclean in the dying minutes solidified the final score as 3-1. For his troubles, Rob walked away with a 32" HDTV and a surround sound system courtesy of PLAY.com, while the quarter-finalists all received iPods and full Reebok gear in exchange for their valiant efforts.