The Mega Drive Championships have become predictable, boring and unworkable.

The most dramatic things to have occurred with the tournaments is outside the events. Geocities have warned us our guestbook has become too full of messages, our website had 400 hits in June and, not entirely unexpectedly, Lord Dilks has finally been kicked out of his college.

The Sixth Tournament is a disaster. The warning signs were there. Captain Maltby has gone, having finished last in each tournament he took part in. The same four games returned and in the shortest fixture list since the Second Tournament. Although attempts were made to diversify the line-up, none of the players were prepared to surrender their advantages. A last ditch attempt to host the tournament in Hull were unsuccessful. The Sixth Tournament has collapsed.

On the surface, things had started so well. The tournament was held in a slightly different location inside the Theatre of Dreams and, for the first time in tournament history, alcohol, not coffee, was on offer to the participants. After the first six predictable games, we paused for a banquet of hot dogs.

After returning to the television for more repetitive 16-bit gaming, a malaise set in. Lord Dilks decided it was not worth him playing the next fixture against Doc Shakib on Sonic 2 and forfietted the title. To be fair, this was an understandable decision as of their five previous ties, the best Lord Dilks had managed was a draw. After a 6-2 defeat to Mr Smith, on World Cup Italia '90, Baron Von Hooton decided it was time to leave. Rooted to the bottom of the table, with 0-points, there was nothing really for him to play for. But in walking out and refusing to come back, Baron Von Hooton defied the oldest tournament mantra "If you turn your back on the tournament, then the tournament turns it back on you."

A decision had to be made of what was to do with the renegade member and, after contemplating whether or not Baron Von Hooton had indeed turned his back on the tournament, it was decided that all his remaining fixtures would be forfeited and the Sixth Championship would continue without him. However, it was a subdued atmosphere in which the competition continued. Of the 24 fixtures at the start of the competition, 11 were forfietied. There was just one shock result that tournament and it was Doc Shakib beating Mr Smith 6-4 on Pete Sampras Tennis.

The Tournament is not yet finished... One game remains to be played and the battle of Mike and Hannah is always a tournament highlight, but even this will not be enough. Lord Dilks will need to beat Doc Shakib by an unlikely 9-0 scoreline if he is to overtake Mr Smith and become the Sixth Mega Drive Champion, or 8-0 if he is to force a head-to-head, for the first time, Streets of Rage 2 decider with his nemesis. Ultimately, whether Lord Dilks or Mr Smith finish top does not eliminate the predictability further down the league table. The old attitude of "the weaker members merely need to practice more" is too dismissive and ignores the actual problem. There seems to be no way out of the predictability and repetitiveness. With the individual members' views entrenched and nobody able to rise above their personal interests for the good of the tournament, it seems the only future the Mega Drive Championships has is stagnation. Captain Maltby has gone, Baron Von Hooton may not return. What future is there for the Mega Drive Tournaments?

"While individual passion may not have died... the tournament fire is burning out."

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