the return of the caches

The Caches MMXIX

IEM Sydney returns for the third consecutive year bringing the world’s best Counter-Strike teams to play in front of the best crowd in esports. Since its inception in 2017, IEM Sydney has produced something few other events have been able to, a showmatch which for many has just as much importance as the main show – The Caches. 

The Caches, based off a long standing sporting tradition between Australia and England in Cricket, will see current and veteran Australian and English CS:GO players take stage in a battle for national pride. What started as a simple showmatch before the Grand Finals in 2017 has now grown to have its own spotlight in the show. The rules of engagement are simple, a best of one on a pre-determined map in CS:GO. First to 16, a single overtime round if required. At stake is not only national pride and bragging rights for a year but also a ‘forfeit’ for the losing team. 2017 saw English captain Henry “HenryG” Greer dropped into a pool of cakes and whipped cream after being defeated 16-6 by the Aussies, lead by captain Chad “Spunj” Burchill.

In 2018, “Pro Wrestler” Mark Hunt got behind the Australian Team to show his support. Last year was a close match, Australia came out firing, won the first round cleanly without a single member from the Australian team going down. As a result of this, Team UK “booted out” Harry Russell, and Stewie2K (former SK Gaming and Cloud9 player) joined Team UK for the rest of the match. Team UK reached a commanding lead at 12-6, but Team Australia ended up pulling it back 16-15, eventually winning the second installment of The Caches.

2019 will see the return of captains Chad “Spunj” Burchill and Henry “HenryG” Greer. With the long term rivalry between SPUNJ and HenryG and a promise for the most stacked lineup to date, the competition is going to get intense.

Want to know more about The Caches? Check out the 2017 showmatch below!