NSCG Tigers are the British Esports National Champions

Following a nail-biting final in the Rocket League Esports Student Championships at the weekend, the NSCG Tigers came out on top with a 4-3 victory with the winning goal secured during extra time.

Newcastle College’s Esports team the NSCG Tigers pounced on the opposition to claim the title in the Esports Student Championships at the weekend, becoming the Rocket League British Esport National Champions.

South Gloucestershire and Stroud College’s SGS Firstshot team went into the final as firm favourites in the competition with NSCG Tigers entering the championship field from the loser’s bracket. Teammates, Alex Anghel, Tom Welsh and Oli Kurowski remained unfazed and despite starting off on the back foot and coming from the lower-bracket playoffs, the team proved themselves each game.

The final, which took place at Nottingham Trent University’s Confetti X studio, consisted of nine fast-paced games lasting five minutes each which were broadcast on Twitch to around 150 live viewers. The video of the incredibly tense final has since amassed around 116k views.

NSCG Tigers had to play seven play-off games to get through to the final with SGS entering from the upper bracket with a one game advantage. In game number one, the NSCG Tigers scored the first goal and from then on, the perceived underdogs set the pace for an extremely exciting series of games, eventually winning the final following 2 minutes of extra time.

Connaire Delaney McNulty, lecturer in Esports, said: “Through the team’s hard work and belief on stage they pulled back in incredible fashion in what was a well-matched but difficult game to top but the Tigers’ proved themselves when it mattered.

“Personally, I couldn't prouder of how they conducted themselves at the event and also throughout this past year. They have consistently put on incredible performances that have left me speechless, from a reverse sweep in the lower bracket finals, to winning the championship - in the end it came down to just 'one more game', and boy was it a game. Well done, Tigers!”

Captain of the NSCG Tigers, Alex Anghel, added: "You know, I think at the end it all came down to our mentality and the fact that we were all on the same page knowing that our entire season was on the line, it really made us pull through when it mattered.

"Seeing the performances of my teammates makes me incredibly proud and I'm sure they are just as happy as me that months' worth of hard work didn't end in defeat."

The British Esports Student Championships is a tournament open to all secondary schools, public schools and Further Education colleges in the UK. The tournament sees students compete in a series of games, including League of Legends, Rocket League, and VALORANT. It is managed by the British Esports Federation (BEF).

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Photographer: Tom P Morley (IG tom_platinum_morley)