Celebrating the most intense and long-standing international test cricket rivalry, the game launches in time for the unique double header Ashes Series that takes place in England and then a few months later in Australia.

Other game modes will reflect all the nuances of the international game across its many formats whilst truly capturing the passion and excitement of live matches. National rivalries, venues and player personalities are perfectly captured in the most advanced simulation of the sport yet, as participants fight for the pride of their nation in either solo play or with up to three friends in local multiplayer matches or take on the world online.

Exeter University Men’s Cricket Club and MacQuarie University Cricket Club have both fought off stiff competition from 288 other clubs, to win the ultimate prize in video games.  Cricket fans were encouraged to nominate their club via Facebook and encourage friends to vote for the once in a lifetime chance to be made into a playable team in the official ASHES CRICKET 2013 game, to be released June 21st. The competition is the opening salvo of a four month heavyweight media and social campaign from 505 in the run up to the launch of the game.

With one winner coming from the UK and one from Australia, 16,245 votes were cast over the duration of the 2 week competition, adding 20,000 fans to the official Facebook community by the time Exeter and MacQuarie University cricket teams were crowned winners.

A List Hollywood actor, Hugh Grant, started proceedings by supporting the University of Exeter. He (@HackedOffHugh) Tweeted “My cricket prodigy cousin & chums at Exeter Univ need a few quick singles. (Votes not money). Please help. @EUMCC”. The post alone was re-Tweeted  by 133 people including celebrity friends by Liz Hurley, Shane Warne and Kevin Pietersen.

Piers Morgan also took to Twitter, to lend his support to Oxford Brookes, while well known celebrities such as Gary Lineker, commentator Jonathan Legard and a number of cricketers past and present, including Darren Gough, Phil Tufnell, Matthew Hoggard, James Pattinson and Joe Root encouraged their followers to pick a team and vote.

Local teams went the extra mile to canvas votes, generating a number of regional media pieces to raise awareness of their plight. Oxford Brookes University even turned to YouTube and posted their own version of the popular Harlem Shake meme with a link back to the Facebook page to vote.

The competition also caught the eye of Michael Underwood of TalkSport who then featured the game live on the afternoon show.

Keeping with the social media theme of the competition, a video has since been posted on YouTube capturing the moment Exeter University finished top of the leader board, capturing the unbridled jubilation of winning the ultimate prize.

“Winning this competition is the stuff of dreams for any amateur cricketer,” commented Ralph Pitt-Stanley, General Manager for UK & Export at 505 Games. “It is fantastic we were able to excite so many people with this competition and really kick start the anticipation that comes with an Investec Ashes summer.”