Northland Open
Northland Open was a New Zealand tournament paintball competition held in Whangārei, Northland, during the late 1990s and early 2000s. The tournament was included in the original National Paintball League (NPL) First Division programme in 1997 and subsequently appeared in the Valhalla National Rankings.[1][2]
The event was traditionally held early in the New Zealand tournament season. The 2000 edition used a rugby ground converted into a temporary speedball field, while the 2001 tournament was advertised for Jubilee Park, Whangārei, on 25 February.[3][4]
History
National Paintball League
The Northland Open was among the tournaments included in the original National Paintball League, developed during 1996 by Ian Southern and Dave Pellet and launched in 1997.[1]
The league's First Division programme included the Northland Open, New Zealand Paintball Nationals and Queen's Birthday tournament.
The original league was supported by three commercial paintball operators: Splatman in Auckland, Strategy Tag in Whangārei and Actions Paintball in Auckland.[1]
Although Strategy Tag was associated with the Whangārei tournament community, its responsibility for organising individual Northland Open editions has not been established.
The tournament's inaugural year remains unconfirmed.
2000 tournament
The 2000 Northland Open was held in Whangārei on a rugby ground converted into a temporary speedball field.[3]
The contemporary tournament calendar recorded that the Northland Open had used different venues during its earlier history.
The exact 2000 venue, playing format and final tournament results have not been recovered.
2001 tournament
The 2001 Northland Open was scheduled for Sunday, 25 February, at Jubilee Park in Whangārei.[4]
The event was advertised as an open seven-player tournament using end flags and Australian Paintball Players League (APPL) rules.
The published entry fee was NZ$70 per team, with participants permitted to bring their own paintballs.
Teams were also responsible for supplying their own CO2 or nitrogen/compressed-air requirements.
| Detail | Published information |
|---|---|
| Date | 25 February 2001 |
| Venue | Jubilee Park, Whangārei |
| Format | Seven-player |
| Game type | End flags |
| Division | Open |
| Rules | Australian Paintball Players League |
| Entry fee | NZ$70 per team |
| Paintballs | Bring your own |
| CO2 and compressed air | Bring your own |
The original announcement identified Brent and Cindy Mathews as event contacts and indicated that entries would be limited.[4]
2001 results
The 2001 Valhalla National Rankings preserve scores from the Northland Open opening round of seven-player competition.[2]
These figures were normalised ranking contributions rather than raw tournament scores or final event placings.
| Team | Ranking points |
|---|---|
| Saints Gold | 100 |
| Phantom 5 | 83.9 |
| Phoenix (WGN) Red | 81.1 |
| Black Dragon | 66.1 |
| Tag n' Release | 65 |
| Katipo | 62 |
| Warp Speed | 32.8 |
| Havoc | 27.8 |
| Solidaire | 24.4 |
| Insane | 6.7 |
Source: 2001 Valhalla seven-player rankings, Northland Open opening round.[2]
Saints Gold recorded the highest normalised score, followed by Phantom 5 and Phoenix (WGN) Red.
A contemporary team profile written by Russell Clement independently records Tag n' Release finishing fifth in the opening round with 585 points from a possible 900.[5]
The team's normalised Valhalla score of 65 corresponds to 65 per cent of the available points.
The surviving results establish the participation of ten named teams but do not provide a complete final tournament classification.
2011 tournament
The Northland Open continued into the 2010s.
The 2011 Northland Open was held on 6 March at Strategy Tag Paintball in Mangapai, near Whangārei.
Eight teams competed in the five-player tournament. Auckland's ADHD won, defeating Disposal Unit in the final. TPC Blast and Gary Locks shared third place.[9]
Contemporary tournament footage was also published in March 2011.[10]
Tournament format
The Northland Open formed part of New Zealand's early competitive paintball calendar, during which tournament formats included five-player and seven-player competition.
The 2001 event specifically advertised seven-player, end-flag games under Australian Paintball Players League rules.[4]
A historical copy of the APPL rulebook was preserved by Mercenaries Star.[6]
The precise format and rules used at earlier Northland Open editions have not been established.
Relationship to national rankings
The Northland Open contributed to the 2001 Valhalla seven-player rankings alongside RotoVegas and the New Zealand Nationals.[2]
Valhalla calculated national rankings from tournament performances, using normalised scores to compare teams across different competitions.
The Northland Open results therefore formed part of the season rankings but should not be confused with the tournament's final standings.[7]
See also
- National Paintball League (New Zealand)
- New Zealand Paintball Nationals
- Valhalla National Rankings
- Saints (New Zealand paintball team)
- Tag n' Release
- Katipo Paintball Team
- Team Insane
- Mercenaries Star
- Paintball in New Zealand
References
- Mercenaries Star, "The Rise and Fall of the New Zealand National Paintball League". Historical account of the NPL's establishment and First Division tournaments.
- Mercenaries Star, "Valhalla Hall of Heroes – 2001". National seven-player rankings, including Northland Open opening-round scores.
- Mercenaries Star, "Annual Tournament Events", 2001. Historical tournament calendar documenting the Northland Open's early-season position and temporary rugby-field venue.
- Mercenaries Star, "Northland Open 2001". Contemporary event announcement listing the date, venue, competition format, rules, entry fee and contacts.
- Russell Clement, "Tag n' Release Team Profile", Mercenaries Star, April 2001. Documents the team's Northland Open opening-round score and placing.
- Mercenaries Star, "Australian Paintball Players League Tournament Rules". Historical tournament rulebook.
- Mercenaries Star, "Valhalla National Team Rankings – Methodology". Explanation of ranking calculations.