London Tigers

London Tigers was a British professional paintball team associated with London and Kent, England. The team competed internationally in the Millennium Series and the National Professional Paintball League (NPPL), including the American professional seven-player circuit during the mid-2000s.[1][2]

London Tigers won the 2013 Millennium Series Semi-Professional Paintball League (SPL) championship, finishing first overall with victories at the European Masters in Bitburg and the World Cup in Paris.[3]

History

Early professional competition

London Tigers was an established British tournament team by 2005, competing in the Champions Paintball League (CPL), the highest division of the Millennium Series.

Contemporary tournament records identify London Tigers among the teams entered in the 2005 European Masters and Campaign Cup, alongside London Nexus, Shockwave UK, Copenhagen Ducks and Joy Division.[4]

The organisation also competed in the American NPPL Super 7 professional division during 2005.

At the NPPL Commander's Cup in Miami, Florida, held on 4–6 November 2005, London Tigers finished fifth in the professional preliminary rankings and qualified for the quarter-finals.

The team was eliminated before the semi-finals. Its performance placed it among the eight quarter-finalists at the season-ending tournament, which was filmed for television coverage on ESPN.[1]

NPPL changes and European competition (2006–2008)

Following the 2005 NPPL season, the team's American professional position changed ownership.

Contemporary reporting by WARPIG stated that Spesh Robinson purchased London Tigers and used the team's NPPL professional position for the Pittsburgh All Americans in 2006.[2]

London Tigers nevertheless continued competing in the European Millennium Series.

The team finished sixteenth in the 2006 Champions Paintball League standings.

In February 2007, equipment manufacturer Luxfer Gas Cylinders announced its continued sponsorship of the Kent-based team ahead of the Millennium Series season.

Luxfer supplied composite high-pressure air cylinders and supported the team through its paintball safety campaign.[5]

London Tigers competed in the Semi-Professional Paintball League during 2007, finishing twenty-first overall.

The following year, the team improved to tenth in the 2008 SPL standings.[3]

Continued development (2009–2012)

London Tigers continued participating in the Millennium Series throughout the late 2000s and early 2010s.

The team finished eighteenth in the 2009 SPL standings, twentieth in 2010 and seventeenth in 2011.

In 2012, London Tigers improved to tenth overall, with its best event result being fifth place at the London tournament.[3]

Millennium Series championship (2013)

The 2013 season was one of London Tigers' most successful documented campaigns.

Competing in the Millennium Series Semi-Professional Paintball League, the team finished third at the Mediterranean Cup in Puget-sur-Argens, France.

London Tigers subsequently won the European Masters in Bitburg, Germany, before finishing second at the London event.

At the final tournament of the season, the World Cup in Paris-Chantilly, London Tigers secured another first-place finish.

The team won the overall 2013 SPL championship with 382 series points.[3]

Equipment manufacturer Planet Eclipse recognised the championship in a September 2013 announcement, confirming that London Tigers had won both the final event in Paris and the season title.[6]

The team was coached by Mark "Twizz" Dale, who was associated with its competitive programme during this period.[7]

Return to professional competition (2014–2015)

Following its 2013 SPL championship, London Tigers returned to the Champions Paintball League for the 2014 season.

The team finished twelfth overall in 2014, with its best tournament result being ninth place at the Paris-Chantilly World Cup.

London Tigers remained in the CPL in 2015, finishing thirteenth in the season standings.

Its best result that year was eleventh place, achieved at both the Mediterranean Cup and the Campaign Cup.[3]

The available records do not establish a definitive date on which the organisation ceased competing.

Development teams

London Tigers operated multiple tournament squads in addition to its principal professional team.

A contemporary entry list for the 2005 Campaign Cup recorded London Tigers in the Champions League and London Tigers AM in Division 1.[4]

By 2013, the organisation included additional squads identified as Tigers 2, Tigers 3 and Tigers 4.

The wider team structure was acknowledged in a statement published following the organisation's victory at the 2013 Bitburg Masters.[8]

Notable players and personnel

Documented personnel associated with London Tigers include:

Mark "Twizz" Dale – Coach associated with the team's 2013 championship programme.[7]
Tony Brandon – Player listed in the team's 2013–2015 Millennium Series rosters.[3]
Chris Fisher – Player listed in the 2011–2013 Millennium Series rosters.[3]
Nicky Honing – Player listed in the 2013–2015 rosters.[3]
Sam Keats – Player listed in the 2013–2015 rosters.[3]
Richard Payne – Player listed in the 2010–2015 rosters.[3]

Selected tournament results

Year	Tournament or series	Division	Result
2005	NPPL Commander's Cup, Miami	Professional 7-man	Quarter-finalists [1]
2006	Millennium Series	CPL	16th overall [3]
2007	Millennium Series	SPL	21st overall [3]
2008	Millennium Series	SPL	10th overall [3]
2012	Millennium Series	SPL	10th overall [3]
2013	Mediterranean Cup	SPL	3rd [3]
2013	European Masters, Bitburg	SPL	1st [3]
2013	London	SPL	2nd [3]
2013	World Cup, Paris-Chantilly	SPL	1st [3]
2013	Millennium Series	SPL	Series champions [3][6]
2014	Millennium Series	CPL	12th overall [3]
2015	Millennium Series	CPL	13th overall [3]

References

External links