Wellington Vendetta (New Zealand Paintball Team)

Wellington Vendetta was a competitive paintball team based in Wellington, New Zealand. The team is documented from 2006 and competed in New Zealand tournaments, including Big Boys Toys 2006 and the New Zealand Paintball Players League (NZPPL).[1][2]

Vendetta shared players and uniforms with Wellington Hybrid. The surviving evidence does not establish whether it was a replacement for Hybrid, a related local squad or a separate team assembled from many of the same players.

History

Formation

Wellington Vendetta's precise founding date has not been established. Its official Flickr account was created in August 2006 and identified Vendetta as a Wellington-based paintball team. The account listed the team's website as `www.vendetta.net.nz`.[1]

The account contains photographs from two documented activities: Big Boys Toys 2006 and a later team training session.[2][3]

Relationship with Wellington Hybrid

Vendetta's early photographic record shows substantial overlap with Wellington Hybrid. Martin Dannefaerd and Matt Wong, known as Stick, appear in Vendetta's photographs after previously playing for Hybrid. Other participants appear in clothing associated with Hybrid.[2][3]

The Wellington Hybrid and Wellington Vendetta Flickr accounts both preserve photographs from Big Boys Toys 2006. The Vendetta album explicitly states that Vendetta took third place at the tournament, while the Hybrid archive also associates the event and placing with Hybrid.[2][4]

This overlap indicates a close relationship between the squads, but does not by itself establish that Hybrid formally changed its name to Vendetta. The teams should therefore be treated as distinct historical identities unless organisational records or participant accounts establish a formal succession.

Big Boys Toys 2006

Wellington Vendetta competed at the Big Boys Toys paintball tournament hosted by Paintball Adventure in Auckland on 17 November 2006. The team's contemporary album states that Vendetta finished third.[2][5]

The seven-photograph collection includes a team photograph and images captioned with the names or nicknames Jim, Lachlan, Stick and Martin.[2]

Training and Easter preparation

Vendetta's album titled `Training 070324` documents a team skirmish training session described as preparation for an Easter tournament. The album was uploaded in April 2007 and directed viewers to the team's website.[3]

Photograph captions identify or name Martin, Stick, Darren, Rosie and Jim or Jimbo. They also show Stick acting as a referee during part of the session.[3][6] The captions do not provide surnames for Darren, Rosie or Jim, so their full identities have not been established.

New Zealand Paintball Players League

Wellington Vendetta later competed in the New Zealand Paintball Players League. At the 2013 NZPPL series final at Asylum Paintball in Auckland, Vendetta finished second behind KC Damage. X-Fighter$ Fracture finished third.[7]

The result was reported in March 2014 with the release of video coverage from the event. X-Fighter$ won the overall 2013 season.[7] The available sources do not establish whether Vendetta operated continuously between its 2007 photographic record and the 2013 competition.

Year	Competition	Location	Result
2006	Big Boys Toys	Auckland	3rd[2]
2013	New Zealand Paintball Players League series final	Asylum Paintball, Auckland	2nd[7]

Players and personnel

The following people are identified in the team's photographic archive:

Martin Dannefaerd – player; previously captain and manager of Wellington Hybrid.
Matt Wong (Stick) – player.
Jim or Jimbo – photographed at Big Boys Toys and training; full identity unconfirmed.
Lachlan – photographed at Big Boys Toys; full identity unconfirmed.
Darren – photographed at training; full identity unconfirmed.
Rosie – photographed at training; full identity unconfirmed.

The photographs establish participation in the documented activities, but do not provide a complete tournament roster. Similar uniforms and previous membership of Hybrid are not sufficient, without further evidence, to identify every photographed participant as a confirmed Vendetta player.

Historical record

Vendetta's surviving Flickr account contains 31 photographs and identifies the account holder as a paintball team from Wellington.[1] Its two albums provide contemporary evidence of the team's 2006 tournament result, personnel and later training activity.[2][3]

The official website listed by the account, `www.vendetta.net.nz`, is no longer available at its original address. No complete contemporary record of the team's formation, management, domestic results or eventual closure has been recovered.

References

Wellington Vendetta profile, Flickr. Team account created in August 2006; identifies its occupation as “Paintball Team”, hometown as Wellington and website as vendetta.net.nz.
BBT 2006, Wellington Vendetta Flickr archive. Seven photographs; album description records Vendetta's third-place finish.
Training 070324, Wellington Vendetta Flickr archive. Team skirmish training photographs and Easter preparation description.
Big Boys Toys 2006, Wellington Hybrid Flickr archive. Parallel photographic record of the event.
Team Shot, Wellington Vendetta, Flickr. Team photograph taken and uploaded on 17 November 2006.
Stick and Martin, Wellington Vendetta, Flickr. Training photograph identifying Matt Wong and Martin Dannefaerd.
Blacksheep Media Release: 2013 NZPPL Video, Scoop Independent News, 16 March 2014. Records KC Damage first, Wellington Vendetta second and X-Fighter$ Fracture third at the 2013 series final.

External links