Editing Hardline (Australian Paintball Team)

'''Hardline''' was a South Australian tournament [[paintball]] team documented in national competition during the mid-1990s. The team finished fourth at the 1995 [[Australian Masters]] and reached the professional finals again in 1996. Entries named '''Hardline Militia''' and '''Hardline Extreme''' also competed in South Australia.[1][2][3]

== History ==

=== 1995 Australian Masters ===

Hardline finished fourth at the 1995 Australian Masters at Skirmish Adventures in Helensburgh, New South Wales. The team qualified for the four-team finals alongside Rage, [[Team Magnum (Australian Paintball Team)|Magnum]] and Black Reign, which finished first, second and third respectively.[1]

The contemporary report identified Darren Forrest as Hardline's manager and Wayne Jones as a new player. It also recorded the team's use of Australian-made camouflage clothing supplied by HS&R.[1]

=== 1995 South Australian Five-Man Challenge ===

Two Hardline entries competed in the South Australian Five-Man Challenge on 18–19 November 1995.[3]

Hardline Militia won the tournament, ahead of SWAT and [[Apparition (Australian Paintball Team)|Apparition]]. Hardline Extreme finished fourth.[3]

In ''Australian Paintballer'''s national professional rankings for the 1995 season, Hardline placed ninth with 100.50 ranking points from two tournaments.[4]

=== 1996 Australian Masters ===

Hardline reached the professional finals of the 1996 Australian Masters at Skirmish Adventures.[2]

The contemporary report described the team's concluding game against Rage. Hardline gained an early numerical advantage, but Rage recovered and the game ended with one player remaining on each side. Rage secured a flag grab before time expired, without completing a flag hang.[2]

The report identifies Hardline among the professional finalists but does not establish its final placing.[2]

== League representation ==

A report on the establishment of the [[Australasian Paintball Players League]] identified Nigel Abbott of Hardline as one of its South Australian representatives in 1996, alongside Daniel Lacey of Extremists.[5]

== Recorded tournament results ==

{| class="wikitable"
! Year
! Competition
! Entry
! Result
! Source
|-
| 1995
| Australian Masters
| Hardline
| 4th
| [1]
|-
| 1995
| South Australian Five-Man Challenge
| Hardline Militia
| 1st
| [3]
|-
| 1995
| South Australian Five-Man Challenge
| Hardline Extreme
| 4th
| [3]
|-
| 1996
| Australian Masters
| Hardline
| Professional finalist; final placing not established
| [2]
|}

== References ==

# [https://web.archive.org/web/19990209105428/http://www.xsystems.com.au/wpaint/wpaint1/masters.htm Australian Masters]. Steve Hobden, ''War Paint'', issue 1, January 1996.
# [https://web.archive.org/web/19981206035630/http://www.xsystems.com.au/wpaint/wpaint4/masters.html Australian Masters]. Kez Svanberg, ''War Paint'', issue 4, November 1996.
# “The 1995 South Australian 5-Man Challenge”, ''Australian Paintballer'', April–June 1996.
# “1995 Australian Team Rankings”, ''Australian Paintballer'', April–June 1996, p. 29.
# “APPL — Australasian Paintball Players League”, ''Australian Paintballer'', April–June 1996, p. 24.

[[Category:Australian paintball teams]]
[[Category:Paintball teams]]
[[Category:Paintball in South Australia]]
[[Category:1990s in Australian paintball]]
[[Category:1990s in paintball]]