A team of British pro gamers has won the US-based Championship Gaming Series after becoming the first international team to reach the final.

　　The tournament, which is run and owned by DirecTV, British Sky Broadcasting, and STAR TV (Asia), started in earnest last year, when it was won by North American champions Chicago Chimera. This year, victory went to Birmingham Salvo, who beat San Francisco Optx 22-15 in the final round, and so get to split $500,000 and take the Mountain Dew Trophy back to the Midlands.

　　"I'm extremely proud of my team right now," said Michael O'Dell, Birmingham's manager. "They truly deserve the title of World Champions. We faced a lot of tough competition throughout the season, but when our backs were against the wall, every player demonstrated the skills and the poise to step up when it mattered the most. My players spent hundreds of hours practicing this season, and their hard work paid off tonight."

　　Andy Reif, CEO and commissioner of CGS, summed up the victory, saying, "Birmingham had some of the most exciting and close matches that pro gaming has ever seen coming into the Championship Match. However, they proved themselves dominant. We couldn't have asked for a more worthy champion in our second season."

　　This year teams were pitted against one another on two PC titles--FIFA 08 and Counter-Strike: Source--and two Xbox 360 games--Dead or Alive 4 and Forza Motorsport 2. Each team comprised 10 players, each specialising in one game. Counter-Strike matches were played 5-on-5, Forza and DOA4 2-on-2, and FIFA 08 1-on-1.

　　The finals were broadcast live on DirectTV's channel The 101, and highlights will be beamed to American homes on Saturday via G4 TV. Those in Europe wanting to watch Birmingham's victory over the colonial upstarts will have to wait a little longer, though, and should keep an eye on their TV schedules--Eurosport and BskyB will be broadcasting the matches during August and September.