By Max "Goodeh" Silver

The first season of CGS produced the first sibling story of the league, with twins Volodymyr and Rostyslav Nedoviz emerging as the two best FIFA players in Europe -- earning their places on the Stockholm and Berlin franchises. At the second draft Volodymyr was omitted from Stockholm Magnetik, but two sisters stepped in to continue the sibling rivalry story, this time in the UK. Sarah Lou and Ruth "Strobe" Harrison were a step above the rest of the DOA F competition at the UK Qualifier and earned their places on the Birmingham Salvo and London Mint respectively.

Both players came into the tournament as virtually unknown entities, but after the first round that all changed. Strobe completely shut out the former UK Champion Kathy "Snuggles" Zablotzky 5-1, the first upset that would ultimately end up leading her to replace Snuggles on the team. Meanwhile, Sarah Lou proved that the UK would have the upper hand (for women) in the region for the second season, with a comprehensive 5-3 win over Livia "Liefje" Teernstra.

Strobe battles Snuggles with moral support from her sister on the way to a 5-1 win.

The first-round victories made both General Managers notice immediately that there was more talent in the tournament this time. "I had heard of Sarah before the draft and she had received some great recommendations from many players I had spoken to, but she was kind of like a mythical creature, stuff of legends never to be seen," said Michael O'Dell. "Obviously the first rounds of the competition made alarm bells ring for both Ben and I, and I kept a keen eye on Sarah and Strobe's performances throughout the rest of the combine."

The Semi-Finals of the eight-person tournament resulted in another two CGS players falling at the hands of the sisters, and they fell hard. The strongest European female, Sophie "MISS" Breton of the Stockholm Magnetik, would be shut out 5-0 by Ruth, while Sarah would match her sister point-for-point by inflicting the same score on Samantha "Ricochet" Whale of the Birmingham Salvo. It seemed as though the female draft pick was officially wide open.

The grand final offered a mouth watering matchup of kin versus kin, a match that meant more than just winning the title as the Dead or Alive Women's UK Champion. Anyone with a brother or sister knows the rivalry that can exist between siblings. This match was compounded by the fact that the two had been playing exclusively against each other for offline practice prior to the tournament.

Both sisters would describe the final as "the hardest game of the tournament," but the familiarity of their opponents managed to reduce the tension and pressure of the huge crowd gathering behind them. "It was very different as we weren't playing at home and people were watching us, judging us," said Sarah Lou. "It was kind of scary, but the thought I was playing with my sister made me feel more relaxed."

Sarah Lou becomes the first draft pick of the 2008 UK Season.

When the match started it was obvious that this was going to be a nail biter, with both players knowing the opponent's tactics and play style like their own. "She knows everything I know, but I know everything she knows," said Sarah, victor by a single round (5-4). She showed Michael O'Dell and Ben Woodward that the gap between the two players was very narrow.

Challenge matches would follow the final, and both players were asked to prove that the victories in the main tournament were not fluke wins. They did so comprehensively; with challenge matches set by both GMs dispatched as though they were playing against an empty seat. The last match of the day for Ruth was against Ricochet.

Ricochet played superbly, and managed to squeeze a 5-4 win, causing sudden pre-draft nerves for Ruth. She was thinking "I blew it, better get on the next train home," for Woodward, there was no such concern, and sister Sarah's draft at that stage was a certainty with Michael O'Dell saying, "Sarah impressed me so much that I changed my first pick to her the night before the draft."

O'Dell was true to his word, and picked up Sarah "Sarah Lou" Harrison first, while Ruth "Strobe" Harrison would have to face three nail biting rounds before becoming Ben Woodward's fourth pick and branding the dual Harrison mark on the CGS. Both players were ecstatic. "It means a lot. Something that I've always enjoyed doing is actually being recognized and taken seriously instead of scrutinized," said Ruth after the draft. "It's nice to be in a team of people who all share a common interest in games who openly talk about it. I can't wait for Los Angeles!"

Strobe is all smiles after the three round wait behind her sister to be drafted.

In the month remaining before the trip to the States, both players are determined to practice, but this throws up some major issues. They live in the same house, they play in the same room, and changes have had to be made. "Since coming back from the CGS and taking this more seriously -- from playing for fun to playing to win -- things have become a lot harder," explained Ruth. "We're generally on at the same time but we both play in the same room. The best we can do is to turn the television screens around."

Another change that will affect both players for the worse is that all interplay between them has now stopped, depriving both of a frequent source of offline practice until the UK Championships are over. For Ruth, Avtar "Paddaman" Padda has stepped in to fill the practice partner gap. "I've got a great trainer. Paddaman is definitely putting the time in to helping me; he must have a lot of patience! I've still got a long way to go but I have confidence that Paddaman will train me to win against everyone, not just my sister."

Taking on Vanessa seems a long way off for these sisters, but with the right practice regime, and perhaps even working together, it just may happen.