Editing Reavers (New Zealand paintball team)


'''Reavers''' is a New Zealand competitive [[paintball]] team based at [[Asylum Paintball]] in Kingseat, Auckland. The team competes in five-player [[speedball]] and [[X-Ball]] tournaments, including the [[New Zealand Race Series]] at [[Arena Paintball]] in Feilding, Manawatū.

Reavers has been documented competing since at least 2025, with contemporary tournament photography identifying several members of the team.

Players and personnel associated with Reavers include [[Jono Clark]], [[Vitaly Miheev]], [[James Keogan]], [[Jayden Welsh]] and [[Kieran Cant]].

During the 2026 New Zealand Race Series, Reavers occupied fifth position in the championship standings after the opening two rounds, accumulating 301 championship points.

== History ==

=== Formation and home field ===

Reavers is based at [[Asylum Paintball]], a recreational and competitive paintball facility at 833 Kingseat Road, Kingseat, Auckland.

The team's precise founding date and original roster have not been established.

Asylum Paintball has been a centre for competitive paintball in the Auckland region since the early 2010s.

The venue operates dedicated tournament fields and has hosted competitions organised by the [[South Auckland Paintball Club]], including the SAPC Race Series.

Asylum Paintball has also been associated with several established New Zealand tournament teams, including [[Team Insane]] and [[ADHD (paintball team)|ADHD]].

[[Vitaly Miheev]], who is associated with Reavers, has a longstanding involvement in both New Zealand tournament paintball and the operation of Asylum Paintball.

The venue's tournament facilities provide Reavers with a base for competitive training and preparation. [1][2]

=== 2025 New Zealand Race Series ===

Reavers participated in the [[2025 New Zealand Race Series]], held at [[Arena Paintball]] in Feilding.

A photograph taken during one of the series events shows four identified members of Reavers walking onto the tournament field.

The photograph identifies:

* [[Jayden Welsh]], wearing jersey number 33
* [[Kieran Cant]], wearing jersey number 23
* Andrew, known as "Drew", wearing jersey number 7
* [[James Keogan]], known as "Spike", wearing jersey number 2

The players are wearing black and white variants of the Reavers team uniform.

The photograph was produced by [[Focused Media]], which documented tournament paintball activity at the event.

The precise round of the 2025 New Zealand Race Series has not been established.

The photograph provides evidence of Reavers' participation in the series during 2025, although the team's tournament placing and complete roster for that season have not yet been recovered. [3]

=== 2026 New Zealand Race Series ===

Reavers returned to compete in the [[2026 New Zealand Race Series]], organised by Arena Paintball in Feilding.

The series consisted of three scheduled events:

* [[2026 New Zealand Race Series Round 1]], 4-5 April
* [[2026 New Zealand Race Series Round 2]], 11-12 July
* [[2026 New Zealand Race Series Round 3]], 24-25 October

The competition attracted teams from New Zealand and Australia, including [[Manawatu Titans]], [[Expendables (New Zealand paintball team)|Expendables]], [[Ballistics Unit]], [[BOP Blast]], [[Sydney SWAT]], [[Cult Paintball]] and [[Lumberjacks Paintball]].

The series used a five-player race format with timed matches, inflatable tournament bunkers and multiple points per match. [4]

==== Round 1 ====

Reavers competed in the opening event on 4-5 April 2026.

The team earned 140 championship points.

[[Manawatu Titans]] won the tournament, followed by Australian team [[Sydney SWAT]] and New Zealand team [[Expendables (New Zealand paintball team)|Expendables]].

==== Round 2 ====

The second round was held on 11-12 July 2026 and was promoted as the Matariki tournament.

Reavers earned 161 championship points, bringing its season total to 301.

Australian team [[Cult Paintball]] won the event, followed by Manawatu Titans and Sydney SWAT.

After the second round, Reavers occupied fifth position in the championship standings, two points behind Expendables and twelve points ahead of Lumberjacks. [5]

==== Championship standings ====

Arena Paintball published the following championship standings on 12 July 2026.

{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Position
! Team
! Round 1
! Round 2
! Total
|-
| 1
| [[Manawatu Titans]]
| 200
| 186
| 386
|-
| 2
| [[Sydney SWAT]]
| 186
| 173
| 359
|-
| 3
| [[Cult Paintball]]
| 150
| 200
| 350
|-
| 4
| [[Expendables (New Zealand paintball team)|Expendables]]
| 173
| 130
| 303
|-
| 5
| '''Reavers'''
| 140
| 161
| 301
|-
| 6
| [[Lumberjacks Paintball]]
| 161
| 112
| 273
|-
| 7
| [[BOP Blast]]
| 112
| 150
| 262
|-
| 8
| [[Ballistics Unit]]
| 121
| 140
| 261
|}

The standings represented the championship position after two rounds rather than the final season results.

The third round was scheduled for 24-25 October 2026. [5]

== Players and personnel ==

Reavers has included players from the Auckland tournament paintball community, including individuals with previous domestic and international tournament experience.

=== Identified players ===

The following players have been identified in a Reavers team photograph from the 2025 New Zealand Race Series.

{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Player
! Playing name
! Jersey number
|-
| [[Jayden Welsh]]
| Welsh
| 33
|-
| [[Kieran Cant]]
| Kieran
| 23
|-
| Andrew (surname unknown)
| Drew
| 7
|-
| [[James Keogan]]
| Spike
| 2
|}

The photograph shows players wearing black and white versions of the same Reavers uniform.

The listed jersey numbers were recorded in the 2025 photograph and should not be assumed to have remained unchanged in subsequent seasons.

The complete playing roster for the 2025 and 2026 seasons has not been independently established. [3]

=== Jono Clark ===

[[Jono Clark]] is a former professional paintball player associated with Reavers.

Originally from Wellington, Clark competed internationally during the 2000s, including with British professional team [[Manchester Shockwave]].

His tournament career also included associations with [[Egotronics]], [[Manc Union]] and other teams.

Clark worked for British paintball equipment manufacturer [[Planet Eclipse]] before returning to New Zealand.

He subsequently operated [[North Shore Paintball]], an Auckland paintball facility that provided dedicated speedball training and tournament opportunities.

His association with Reavers represents a continuation of his involvement in New Zealand competitive paintball.

His specific role within the team has not been independently established. [6]

=== Vitaly Miheev ===

[[Vitaly Miheev]] is a longstanding New Zealand tournament paintball player and field operator associated with Reavers.

Miheev has participated in competitive paintball since the 1990s, including with the Auckland-based [[Team Insane]].

He later played for [[ADHD (paintball team)|ADHD]], which competed in the [[South Auckland Paintball Club Race Series]].

ADHD won the 2014 SAPC Open X-Ball season championship, finishing first in all four rounds.

Miheev has also been involved in the operation of [[Asylum Paintball]] in Kingseat.

Historical tournament records identify him as a contact for competitive events held at the venue during the 2010s.

His association with Reavers connects the team with an earlier generation of New Zealand tournament paintball. [2][7]

=== James Keogan ===

[[James Keogan]], also known by his playing name '''Spike''', is a Reavers paintball player.

Keogan is identified in a 2025 tournament photograph wearing jersey number 2, with the name "Spike" and the Reavers team name printed on his jersey.

He maintains a paintball-related Instagram account under the username [https://www.instagram.com/shootyball_spike/ @shootyball_spike].

Keogan was photographed alongside Jayden Welsh, Kieran Cant and Andrew during the 2025 New Zealand Race Series. [3]

== Team uniforms ==

Reavers uses a predominantly black, red and white tournament uniform.

The team's jerseys feature player names and numbers printed on the back, with "Reavers" displayed beneath the player number.

Both black and white variants of the uniform were worn during the 2025 New Zealand Race Series.

The black version features red and white horizontal detailing across the arms and upper back.

The white version incorporates similar colours and design elements, including red accents and black detailing.

The team's documented uniforms also display the Ruthless branding.

The 2025 photograph was taken on an inflatable-bunker speedball field using green bunkers and event branding associated with tournament paintball equipment manufacturers. [3]

== Competition format ==

Reavers participates in five-player race-format paintball.

The [[New Zealand Race Series]] uses symmetrical tournament fields with inflatable bunkers and a timed, multi-point match format.

The advertised 2026 competition regulations included:

* Five active players per team
* Maximum registered roster of eight players
* Ten-minute matches
* Four-point mercy limit
* Hopper plus four paintball pods per player
* Preliminary round-robin competition
* Cup and Plate playoff divisions

The competition format is based on modern [[X-Ball]] principles and uses rules established by the event organiser. [8]

== Tournament results ==

{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Year
! Tournament
! Result
|-
| 2025
| [[New Zealand Race Series]]
| Participation documented; placing unknown
|-
| 2026
| [[New Zealand Race Series]]
| Fifth overall after two rounds, 301 points
|}

The team's complete tournament record before 2025 and final 2026 season position have not yet been established.

== Historical documentation ==

The earliest presently identified photographic evidence of Reavers dates to the 2025 New Zealand Race Series.

The photograph, credited to Focused Media, records four team members at Arena Paintball.

Additional documentation is available through the official 2026 Arena Paintball championship standings, which record Reavers' participation and results.

Information concerning the team's association with Asylum Paintball and several players has also been preserved through participant testimony.

The team's exact foundation date, founding members and complete tournament history remain subjects for further research.

== See also ==

* [[Paintball in New Zealand]]
* [[Paintball teams in New Zealand]]
* [[Paintball tournaments in New Zealand]]
* [[New Zealand Race Series]]
* [[Asylum Paintball]]
* [[South Auckland Paintball Club]]
* [[Arena Paintball]]
* [[Jono Clark]]
* [[Vitaly Miheev]]
* [[James Keogan]]
* [[Jayden Welsh]]
* [[Kieran Cant]]
* [[Manawatu Titans]]
* [[Expendables (New Zealand paintball team)]]

== References ==

# [https://www.cab.org.nz/community-directory/KB00003429 Citizens Advice Bureau New Zealand, Asylum Paintball, Kingseat.] Documents the Auckland venue, its tournament facilities and association with South Auckland Paintball Club.
# [https://pbleagues.com/event/3853/info PBLeagues, SAPC D4 & Open Event 3, 2015.] Documents Asylum Paintball as a competitive tournament venue and identifies Vitaly Miheev's association with tournament administration.
# Focused Media, Reavers team photograph, 2025 New Zealand Race Series, Arena Paintball, Feilding. Historical photograph supplied to WikiPaintball research in October 2026. Player identifications, uniform variants and approximate event date supplied by Michael Earley. Exact tournament round not established.
# [https://www.arenapaintball.co.nz/events Arena Paintball, Official Tournament Calendar.] Documents the 2026 Arena Five-Man Race Series event dates.
# [https://www.findglocal.com/NZ/Feilding/102027051785091/Arena-Paintball Arena Paintball, 2026 Race Series Standings, 12 July 2026.] Official organiser's published standings recording Reavers in fifth position after two rounds with 301 championship points.
# Rob Maddox, interview with Jono Clark, Paintball.co.nz, October 2005. Historical interview preserved through the Internet Archive's Wayback Machine. Documents Clark's early career and professional tournament experience.
# [https://pbleagues.com/league/262/seasonRankings/2014 PBLeagues, South Auckland Paintball Club 2014 Season Rankings.] Documents the historical SAPC competition.
# [https://paintballdirectnz.co.nz/2026-race-events/ Paintball Direct NZ, 2026 Race Events.] Official tournament format, roster restrictions and competition regulations.
# New Zealand paintball oral history, Michael Earley, October 2026. Identifies Reavers as based at Asylum Paintball and confirms the association of Jono Clark, Vitaly Miheev and the players pictured in the 2025 photograph.

== External links ==

* [https://www.asylumpaintball.co.nz/ Asylum Paintball]
* [https://www.arenapaintball.co.nz/ Arena Paintball]
* [https://www.instagram.com/shootyball_spike/ James Keogan on Instagram]
* [https://paintballdirectnz.co.nz/2026-race-events/ New Zealand Race Series information]

[[Category:New Zealand paintball teams]]
[[Category:Paintball teams]]
[[Category:Paintball in New Zealand]]
[[Category:Paintball in Auckland]]