Editing Jono Clark


''For the Dunedin-based tournament paintball player, see [[Jono C Clark]].''

'''Jono Clark''' is a New Zealand [[paintball]] player and former paintball field operator. Originally from Wellington, Clark competed professionally in the United Kingdom and participated in international tournaments in Europe, North America and the Asia-Pacific region.

His career included playing for British professional team [[Manchester Shockwave]], employment with paintball equipment manufacturer [[Planet Eclipse]], and the operation of [[North Shore Paintball]] in Auckland.

Clark has remained involved in New Zealand competitive paintball and is associated with the Auckland-based tournament team [[Reavers (New Zealand paintball team)|Reavers]].

His early playing career and international experience were documented in an October 2005 interview conducted by Rob Maddox for Paintball.co.nz.

== Early playing career ==

Clark grew up in Tawa, Wellington, and began playing competitive paintball around 2000.

He developed his early tournament experience within the Wellington paintball community, which supported several competitive teams and recreational paintball facilities during the late 1990s and early 2000s.

In an October 2005 interview with Paintball.co.nz, Clark identified several teams from his early playing career, including:

* [[Full Bore (paintball team)|Full Bore]]
* [[Evil (New Zealand paintball team)|Evil]]
* [[Breakout (paintball team)|Breakout]]
* [[Evil Sharks]]
* [[Wellington Hybrid]]

Clark identified [[Rob Blitz]], operator of [[Tag Wargames]] in Wellington, as an important influence on his introduction to tournament paintball.

Another significant connection was Ian "Beaker" Miller, who helped introduce Clark to the Evil Sharks team.

During this period, tournament paintball in New Zealand was primarily organised through regional competitions and independently operated events, including the [[New Zealand Nationals]] and [[South Pacific Championships]].

Clark's early development occurred during the transition from traditional tournament formats to the inflatable-bunker speedball competitions that became increasingly prominent internationally. [1]

== Professional playing career ==

=== United Kingdom ===

Clark travelled to the United Kingdom during the early 2000s, where he competed in European tournament paintball.

His documented British team associations included:

* [[Egotronics]]
* [[Manc Union]]
* [[Manchester Shockwave]]

Manchester Shockwave was an established British professional paintball team that participated in major European tournaments, including the [[Millennium Series]].

The Millennium Series attracted professional and amateur teams from across Europe and North America and was one of the principal international tournament circuits of the period.

Clark's involvement with Manchester Shockwave placed him among the New Zealand players competing at professional level in European tournament paintball during the early 2000s.

His experiences in Britain were discussed in an October 2005 interview with Rob Maddox, published by Paintball.co.nz. [1][2]

=== Planet Eclipse ===

During his time in the United Kingdom, Clark worked for [[Planet Eclipse]], the British paintball equipment manufacturer.

Planet Eclipse manufactured equipment used extensively in professional tournament paintball, including electronic markers and associated playing equipment.

His employment with the company coincided with his participation in the British and European competitive paintball scene. [1]

=== International tournaments ===

By 2005, Clark had gained tournament experience in several countries.

His international playing history included competitions in:

* United Kingdom
* Continental Europe
* Australia
* United States, including Hawaii

In his October 2005 interview, Clark discussed the differences between playing paintball in New Zealand and competing internationally.

These included access to professional teams, regular competitive training and international tournament infrastructure.

His overseas playing experience subsequently informed his involvement in New Zealand tournament paintball. [1]

== Return to New Zealand ==

Following his international playing career, Clark returned to New Zealand and remained involved in competitive paintball.

He became associated with the development of dedicated speedball facilities in Auckland, where tournament paintball was increasingly adopting international playing formats.

His involvement included operating [[North Shore Paintball]], which provided a venue for training and organised competition.

== North Shore Paintball ==

=== Establishment ===

Clark was involved in the operation of [[North Shore Paintball]], a paintball business and tournament facility in the Auckland region.

North Shore Paintball Limited was incorporated on 15 October 2008 under New Zealand company number 2182318.

Historical company records identify Jonathan Richard Clark as a director and list the company's registered address in Silverdale, Auckland.

The company was removed from the New Zealand Companies Register on 19 November 2012.

The company's removal date does not necessarily establish when the playing facility ceased operating. [3]

=== Tournament facilities ===

North Shore Paintball operated a dedicated speedball facility designed to accommodate competitive tournament paintball.

The venue featured an artificial-turf playing surface and inflatable speedball bunkers, providing an alternative to the grass playing fields commonly used for New Zealand tournaments.

The facility was promoted as an early dedicated artificial-turf tournament venue in New Zealand.

North Shore Paintball provided training opportunities for competitive players and hosted organised tournament activity.

The venue formed part of the development of dedicated speedball infrastructure in the Auckland region during the late 2000s and early 2010s. [4]

=== Greater Auckland Open ===

North Shore Paintball was associated with the [[Greater Auckland Open]], a tournament advertised for 20–21 November 2010.

The competition was promoted using a race-to-seven format and the 2010 [[Paintball Sports Promotions]] tournament layout.

Promotional material also advertised filming by paintball media company [[DerDer Productions]].

The event reflected the growing popularity of X-Ball and race-format competition in New Zealand during this period.

It preceded the later development of structured Auckland race-series competition, including tournaments organised by the [[South Auckland Paintball Club]] and [[New Zealand Paintball Players League]]. [4]

== Later competitive career ==

=== Australian Super 7s ===

Clark remained involved in international competitive paintball during the 2010s.

In July 2014, Australian paintball retailer Paintballshop.com published a tournament report written by Dave Black, a player with [[Sydney SWAT]].

The report identified Clark as a veteran New Zealand professional player who had been expected to join Sydney SWAT at the second round of the [[2014 Super 7s Series]].

Clark withdrew shortly before the event, along with another international player.

Sydney SWAT subsequently recruited [[San Diego Dynasty]] player [[Blake Yarber]] as a replacement.

The report documents Clark's continued association with high-level Australian tournament paintball, although it does not establish that he participated in that particular round. [5]

=== Reavers ===

Clark has remained involved in the Auckland tournament paintball community and is associated with [[Reavers (New Zealand paintball team)|Reavers]], a competitive paintball team based in Auckland.

Reavers competes in the [[New Zealand Race Series]], a five-player X-Ball tournament series held at [[Arena Paintball]] in Feilding, Manawatū.

During the 2026 season, Reavers recorded the following championship results:

{| class="wikitable"
! Event
! Championship points
|-
| [[2026 New Zealand Race Series Round 1]]
| 140
|-
| [[2026 New Zealand Race Series Round 2]]
| 161
|-
| '''Total after Round 2'''
| '''301'''
|}

Following the second round in July 2026, Reavers occupied fifth position in the overall series standings.

Clark's association with Reavers represents a continuation of his involvement in competitive paintball following his earlier international playing career and operation of North Shore Paintball.

His precise role within Reavers has not been independently established. [6]

== Contribution to New Zealand paintball ==

Clark's career spans several periods in the development of competitive paintball in New Zealand.

His early involvement in Wellington connected him with the tournament community of the late 1990s and early 2000s.

His subsequent participation in European professional competition, including his association with Manchester Shockwave, provided experience in international tournament environments.

Through North Shore Paintball, Clark also became involved in providing dedicated training and tournament facilities in Auckland.

His later association with Reavers demonstrates his continued involvement in New Zealand competitive paintball during the 2020s.

== Teams ==

Teams associated with Clark's documented playing career include:

{| class="wikitable"
! Team
! Country
! Period
|-
| [[Full Bore (paintball team)|Full Bore]]
| New Zealand
| Early career
|-
| [[Evil (New Zealand paintball team)|Evil]]
| New Zealand
| Early career
|-
| [[Breakout (paintball team)|Breakout]]
| New Zealand
| Early career
|-
| [[Evil Sharks]]
| New Zealand
| Early career
|-
| [[Wellington Hybrid]]
| New Zealand
| Early career
|-
| [[Egotronics]]
| United Kingdom
| 2000s
|-
| [[Manc Union]]
| United Kingdom
| 2000s
|-
| [[Manchester Shockwave]]
| United Kingdom
| 2000s
|}

Clark is also associated with [[Reavers (New Zealand paintball team)|Reavers]] in Auckland, although his current playing or organisational role has not been established.

== See also ==

* [[Paintball in New Zealand]]
* [[New Zealand paintball personalities]]
* [[Paintball tournaments in New Zealand]]
* [[North Shore Paintball]]
* [[Reavers (New Zealand paintball team)|Reavers]]
* [[Manchester Shockwave]]
* [[Millennium Series]]
* [[Planet Eclipse]]
* [[Rob Blitz]]
* [[Tag Wargames]]
* [[Greater Auckland Open]]
* [[New Zealand Race Series]]

== References ==

# Rob Maddox, "Interview with Jono Clark", Paintball.co.nz, October 2005. Interview preserved through the Internet Archive's Wayback Machine. The archived interview documents Clark's early teams, international playing career, association with Rob Blitz, employment with Planet Eclipse and British professional team history. Original archived URL requires recovery.
# [https://www.warpig.com/paintball/tournament/milleniumseries/2002/toulouse/ WARPIG, Millennium Series Toulouse, 2002.] Contemporary coverage documenting Manchester Shockwave's participation in European professional tournament paintball. This source establishes the team's activity, not Clark's individual roster.
# [https://businessprofiles.com/details/north-shore-paintball-limited/NZ-2182318 Business Profiles, North Shore Paintball Limited, New Zealand company 2182318.] Incorporation date, company director, registered address and removal date.
# Greater Auckland Open tournament promotional material, November 2010. Historical event advertisement identifying tournament format and associated media coverage.
# [https://paintballshop.com/blog/super-7s-round-2-wrap-up/ Dave Black, "Super 7s Round 2 Wrap Up!", Paintballshop.com, 19 July 2014.] Identifies Jono Clark as a veteran New Zealand professional player who withdrew before the second round of the Australian Super 7s.
# [https://www.findglocal.com/NZ/Feilding/102027051785091/Arena-Paintball Arena Paintball, 2026 Race Series standings, published 12 July 2026.] Documents Reavers' participation and fifth-place series ranking after two rounds. Clark's association with Reavers is based on information supplied to WikiPaintball research in October 2026.

== External links ==

* [https://paintballshop.com/blog/super-7s-round-2-wrap-up/ Super 7s Round 2 Wrap Up, 2014]
* [https://businessprofiles.com/details/north-shore-paintball-limited/NZ-2182318 North Shore Paintball Limited company history]
* [https://www.arenapaintball.co.nz/ Arena Paintball]
* [https://www.oocities.org/mercstar_nz/ Mercenaries Star historical archive]

[[Category:New Zealand paintball players]]
[[Category:Professional paintball players]]
[[Category:Paintball personalities]]
[[Category:Paintball field operators]]
[[Category:Paintball in New Zealand]]