Mark Gardiner (born September 2, 1983) is a Scottish semi-professional video gamer. On March 15, 2008, Gardiner won the largest single prize in United Kingdom video gaming history. Playing Pro Evolution Soccer (PES), he won £50,000 inside Wembley Stadium, in the Play.com-sponsored PES Rankings tournament. He also finished second at the European Pro Evolution Soccer 6 Championships in Seville on October 11, 2007, and won the UK Championships held in London on September 2, 2007. He uses the nickname "Marko9Gardinic" during video game competitions.

Gardiner, from Hamilton in South Lanarkshire, plays football for amateur team Blue Dragon, in the Glasgow Chinese Football League.^[1] He scored 19 goals in the 06/07 season which netted him the prize of top scorer.

[edit] References

• Karen Bale (April 5 2008). "Scot scoops 50K video game prize". Daily Record. Retrieved on 2008-04-08.
• Richard Mooney (March 27 2008). "Hamilton man wins £50,000 video game tournament". Hamilton Advertiser. Retrieved on 2008-04-08.
• "Marko9Gardinic wins play.com finals". PES Rankings (17 March 2008). Retrieved on 2008-04-08.
• "UK lifts trophy at 2007 PES European Finals". Konami web site (15.10.2007). Retrieved on 2008-04-08.
• Julie-Anne Barnes (April 5 2008). "Scot scores at Wembley – in gaming contest". The Scotsman. Retrieved on 2008-04-08.