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Expanded and reorganised the Saints article using contemporary tournament reports. Added the team’s 1995 New Zealand South Pacific Championship victory, Australian appearance, Auckland seven-player title and documented early captaincy; consolidated later rankings, squad history and international results.
 
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{{Short description|New Zealand tournament paintball team}}
'''Saints''' was a New Zealand tournament [[paintball]] organisation based in Auckland. It competed under the names '''Saints''', '''Team Saints''', '''Saints Gold''', '''Saints Black''' and '''Saints Grey''', and also fielded numbered three-player entries as '''Saints 1''' and '''Saints 2'''.[1][2][3][4][5]


'''Saints''', also known as '''Team Saints''', was a New Zealand tournament [[paintball]] organisation active from at least 1995 into the 2000s. The team won the 1995 [[South Pacific Championships]] in Wellington and the 1995 Auckland seven-player tournament.[1][2]
Saints won the New Zealand South Pacific Championships in 1995, multiple national tournaments during the late 1990s and early 2000s, and the 2005 New Zealand ranking series as reported by a participating organiser.[6][7][8][9][10]


During the late 1990s and early 2000s, the organisation entered squads including '''Saints Gold''' and '''Saints Black'''. A veteran squad recorded as '''Grey''' or '''Saints Grey''' was also associated with the team. Saints Gold led the independent [[Valhalla National Rankings]] in 1998, 1999 and 2000, and headed the published seven-player rankings for 2001.[5][6][7][8]
== Team identity ==


Saints also competed internationally, travelling to Australia in 1995 and to the United States for the 2004 [[National Professional Paintball League]] tournament at Huntington Beach.[3][10]
Saints Gold, Saints Black and Saints Grey were squads of the same Saints organisation rather than unrelated teams. The numbered Saints 1 and Saints 2 entries at the 2002 Gathering were also separate squads from the organisation.[5]


== History ==
The Valhalla rankings sometimes shortened Saints Grey to '''Grey'''. Those entries are treated as Saints Grey where they occur alongside the other Saints squads in the relevant New Zealand records. Published event names are retained in result tables rather than being silently standardised to Saints Gold.


=== 1995 season ===
The available sources do not establish a precise founding date.


==== New Zealand South Pacific Championship ====
== History ==


Saints won the 1995 New Zealand [[South Pacific Championships]], held in Wellington over the Easter weekend. The Australian team Sydney HEAT finished second.[1]
=== 1995–1996 ===


The result demonstrates that Saints had already become one of New Zealand's leading tournament teams by early 1995. It also gave Sydney HEAT its first tournament appearance outside Australia.[1]
Saints won the 1995 New Zealand [[South Pacific Championships]], held in Wellington during Easter.[6]


==== Australian South Pacific Championships ====
Later in 1995, Saints competed in the Australian South Pacific Paintball Championships near Windsor, New South Wales. Seven ten-player teams contested the event, but Saints did not advance to the finals.[11]


Later in 1995, Saints travelled to New South Wales to contest the Australian South Pacific Paintball Championships at Adventure Quest Games near Windsor. Seven ten-player teams competed: Saints, [[Top Hat Jokers]], [[Sydney SWAT]], Black Reign, Black Reign/No Fear, Hardline and United Newcastle.[3]
On 21–22 October 1995, Saints won a seven-player tournament at Tactics, Bethells Beach, Auckland. The team won nine of its ten games and scored 910 points. The contemporary report identified Rik Goldsworthy, printed as Rick, as captain.[7]


Saints played strongly but did not advance to the four-team finals. Top Hat Jokers won the tournament, followed by Black Reign, SWAT and Black Reign/No Fear.[3]
Saints competed in the professional division of the 1996 [[Australian Masters]] at Skirmish Adventures in Helensburgh, New South Wales. The recovered report does not establish its final placing.[12]


In ''Australian Paintballer'''s retrospective rankings for the 1995 Australian season, Saints received 56.25 professional ranking points from its single tournament appearance.[4]
=== 1997 season ===


The Australian competition was separate from the New Zealand South Pacific Championships won by Saints earlier in the year.
At the [[1997 New Zealand Paintball Nationals]], Saints Black finished second with 866 points and Saints Grey finished fifth with 780 points. Jo Pitts was identified as Saints Black captain. The report noted that other Saints players were competing in Orlando.[1]


==== Auckland tournament ====
The Valhalla rankings placed Saints Black second with 79 ranking points. The associated Grey entry, identified here as Saints Grey, recorded 71 points.[13]


Saints won a seven-player tournament held at Tactics, Bethells Beach, Auckland, on 21–22 October 1995. Six teams competed in a double round-robin format, playing each opponent once from each end of the field.[2]
=== 1998 season ===


Saints won nine of its ten games, recording five maximum scores and three scores of 98 points. The team finished with 910 points, ahead of X-Men on 683 and Katapo on 628.[2]
Saints won the [[1998 Northland Open]], finishing ahead of Paint Contractors.[14]


{| class="wikitable"
At the [[1998 New Zealand Paintball Nationals]], Saints Gold won with 1,290 points from a possible 1,300. Saints Grey finished third with 970 points. Rik Goldsworthy was identified as Saints Gold captain.[2]
! Position
! Team
! Points
|-
| 1
| Saints
| 910
|-
| 2
| X-Men
| 683
|-
| 3
| Katapo
| 628
|-
| 4
| Whangarei Paint Contractors
| 324
|-
| 5
| Dragons Claw Hell Patrol
| 293
|-
| 6
| Dragons Claw Sentinels
| −35
|}


A contemporary report identified Rick as the Saints captain at the tournament.[2]
Saints Gold led the 1998 Valhalla rankings with 92.5 points. Saints Grey, printed as Grey, recorded 78 points, while Saints Black recorded 64.[15]


=== Later 1990s ===
=== 1999 season ===


The April–June 1997 issue of the Australasian magazine ''Paintballer'' featured Saints on its cover under the headline "Warriors Still!", describing the team as seeking to regain its feared status.[11]
At the [[1999 New Zealand Paintball Nationals]], Saints Gold finished second with 1,025 points, behind Paint Contractors. Saints Grey finished sixth with 715 points.[3]


The team subsequently appeared in the independent Valhalla rankings through several separately recorded squads.
Saints Gold received the Team of the Year award presented at the tournament. Marty Friend received the Player of the Year award for sportsmanship and attitude.[3]


Saints Black finished second in the 1997 rankings with 79 points, behind Katipo. At the 1997 [[New Zealand Paintball Nationals]], Saints Black also placed second behind Katipo, scoring 866 tournament points.[9]
Saints Gold led the 1999 Valhalla rankings with 91 points. Saints Grey, printed as Grey, recorded 77 points.[16]


Saints Gold led the 1998 Valhalla rankings with 92.5 points. Grey placed second and Saints Black fifth, giving the wider Saints organisation three entries among the leading five teams.[5]
=== 2000 season ===


At the 1998 New Zealand Nationals, Saints Gold won the tournament with 1,290 points. Paint Contractors finished second with 1,008, while the team recorded in the tournament results as Saints Grey placed third with 970.[5]
Saints won the [[2000 Northland Open]] at Jubilee Park in Whangārei.[17]


Saints Gold remained first in the 1999 Valhalla rankings with 91 points. Grey placed fourth with 77.[6]
At the [[2000 New Zealand Paintball Nationals]], the entry printed as Saints won Division One after recording 1,000 preliminary points. The report does not publish the team's final-round points.[8]


=== 2000 season ===
Saints Gold led the 2000 Valhalla rankings with 91 points. Saints Grey, printed as Grey, recorded 82.5 points, and Saints Black recorded 50.[18]
 
Saints Gold led the Valhalla rankings for a third consecutive season in 2000, recording 91 points. The ranking compiler noted that the squad had averaged approximately 96 per cent of the available points during the preliminary stages of its tournaments.[7]
 
Grey finished equal second with Team Crisis on 82.5 points. Saints Black was also recorded in the standings, placing twenty-third with 50 points.[7]


=== 2001 season ===
=== 2001 season ===


Valhalla published separate seven-, five- and three-player rankings in 2001. Saints Gold appeared in all three formats.[8]
Saints won the [[2001 Northland Open]] at Jubilee Park on 25 February with 900 points.[19]


In the seven-player rankings, Saints Gold placed first among 23 entries with 400.5 cumulative points. Its results incorporated the Northland Open, RotoVegas and New Zealand Nationals.[8]
At the [[2001 New Zealand Paintball Nationals]], Saints won Division One with 225 final-round points, ahead of Katipo, Jetts and Flashpoint. The report described the team as led by Rik Goldsworthy.[9]


{| class="wikitable"
The October 2001 Valhalla standings placed Saints Gold first in seven-player competition with 400.5 cumulative ranking points. Saints Gold also placed second in the five-player rankings with 211 points and fourth in the three-player rankings with 152.5 points.[4]
|+ Saints Gold – 2001 seven-player ranking contributions
! Competition stage
! Points
|-
| Northland Open
| 100
|-
| RotoVegas preliminary round
| 83.4
|-
| RotoVegas First Division round
| 73.3
|-
| Nationals preliminary round
| 87.5
|-
| Nationals First Division final
| 56.3
|-
! Total
! 400.5
|}


Saints Gold placed second in the five-player rankings with 211 points, behind [[Tag n' Release]] on 214.5. These standings incorporated the South Pacific Championships and Wellington Cup.[8]
=== 2002 competition ===


The squad also placed fourth in the three-player rankings with 152.5 points. The three-player category incorporated the Hawkes Bay Triples, Indoor Three-Man Open and Combat Zone competitions.[8]
At the Gathering at Actions Paintball on 26 January 2002, Saints fielded two three-player squads. Saints 2 won with 20 points, while Saints 1 shared second place with GPS and GBR on 16 points.[5]


=== 2004 NPPL Huntington Beach ===
The following day, Saints won the Combat Zone three-player tournament in Ardmore with 730 points.[20]


Saints travelled to California to compete in the NPPL Super 7 Series tournament at Huntington Beach on 19–21 March 2004. The event attracted approximately 160 teams from twelve countries.[12]
Saints also won the [[2002 Northland Open]], scoring 666 points and taking the Division One title. Rik Goldsworthy was identified as captain.[10]


Saints player and captain Rik Goldsworthy subsequently discussed the tournament in an interview conducted by Rob Maddox for ''Paintball.co.nz''. Goldsworthy reported that Saints won three of its eight games.[13]
=== 2004 season ===


The interview documents the team's continued activity beyond the years covered by the surviving Valhalla rankings. Goldsworthy also expressed an intention for the team to return to Huntington Beach the following year, although the available source does not confirm that a further appearance took place.[13]
Saints competed at the opening round of the 2004 [[National Professional Paintball League]] Super 7 Series at Huntington Beach, California, on 19–21 March. Captain Rik Goldsworthy subsequently reported that Saints won three of its eight games.[21][22]


== Team structure ==
At the [[2004 Wellington X-Cess]] during Easter, Saints reached the Cup final and finished second after losing two consecutive games to the visiting American Evil Factory team.[23]


=== Saints Gold ===
Saints was runner-up at the [[2004 Auckland Queen’s Birthday Superball|Auckland Queen's Birthday Superball]] at Kumeu. Its best-of-three final against Evil Factory NZ was tied after the first two games and the deciding game ended in a draw. Evil Factory NZ received first place on individual-game countback.[24]


'''Saints Gold''' was the organisation's principal competitive squad during the late 1990s and early 2000s. It led the Valhalla rankings for three consecutive seasons from 1998 to 2000 and led the published seven-player standings in 2001.[5][6][7][8]
Saints also competed at the [[2004 Rotorua Paintball Tournament|Rotorua International Stadium tournament]] during Labour Weekend. The recovered report records a pool-stage loss to Evil Factory NZ but does not include Saints among the four Cup finalists or establish its final overall placing.[25]


=== Saints Black ===
=== 2005 ranking series ===


'''Saints Black''' competed as a separately ranked squad. It finished second in the 1997 Valhalla rankings and at the 1997 New Zealand Nationals. The squad placed fifth in the 1998 rankings and also appeared in the 2000 standings.[5][7][9]
A retrospective account by a participating organiser identified two completed New Zealand ranking events in 2005. Saints won the Easter event with 50 ranking points and placed third at Kumeu with 43 points.[26]


=== Grey ===
The account placed Saints first for the season with 93 points, ahead of Hybrid on 46 and Menace on 43. It was posted during a later forum dispute rather than as an independently authenticated official standings sheet, so the result is attributed to its author.[26]


'''Grey''' was recorded separately in most Valhalla ranking tables. The 1998 New Zealand Nationals results identified the entry as '''Saints Grey''', supporting its association with the wider Saints organisation.[5]
=== 2006 season ===


Grey placed fifth in the 1997 rankings, second in 1998, fourth in 1999 and equal second in 2000.[5][6][7][9]
An organiser's post dated 19 April 2006 identified Saints as the Cup winner at the [[2006 Wellington Easter Tournament]]. The recovered discussion does not provide a complete result table.[27]


Valhalla treated separately named squads as independent ranking entries rather than combining their results under a single organisation.[14]
Saints competed in Division One of the 2006 [[Super 5s (New Zealand)|Super 5s]]. The final standings placed it fourth with 3,203 championship points, behind Menace, XXX and Phantom.[28]


== Selected tournament results ==
== Players and leadership ==


{| class="wikitable"
{| class="wikitable"
! Year
! Person
! Tournament
! Documented association
! Squad
! Result
|-
|-
| 1995
| [[Rik Goldsworthy]]
| [[South Pacific Championships]]
| Saints captain in dated records from 1995, 1998, 2001, 2002 and 2004.[2][7][9][10][22]
| Saints
| First
|-
|-
| 1995
| [[Jo Pitts]]
| Australian South Pacific Paintball Championships
| Saints Black captain at the 1997 Nationals.[1]
| Saints
| Did not reach finals
|-
|-
| 1995
| [[Amon Johnson]]
| Auckland seven-player tournament
| Identified as a Saints member in a contemporary player profile.[29]
| Saints
| First
|-
|-
| 1997
| [[David Caton]]
| [[New Zealand Paintball Nationals]]
| Identified as a longstanding Saints member in a contemporary profile.[30]
| Saints Black
| Second
|-
|-
| 1998
| [[Ian MacDonald]]
| New Zealand Paintball Nationals
| Identified as a longstanding Saints member in a contemporary profile.[31]
| Saints Gold
| First
|-
|-
| 1998
| [[Keith Docherty]]
| New Zealand Paintball Nationals
| Identified as a Saints member; previously associated with Dragons Claw and The Goodies.[32]
| Saints Grey
| Third
|-
|-
| 2004
| [[Kyn Jackson|Kyn Allan Jackson]]
| NPPL Huntington Beach
| Identified as an Actions Paintball operator and Saints member.[33]
| Saints
| Three wins from eight games
|}
|}


== National ranking record ==
The sources document associations at different dates and do not establish a single roster covering every Saints squad or season.
 
== Selected tournament results ==


{| class="wikitable"
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Year
! Year
! Squad
! Competition
! Format
! Published entry
! Position
! Recorded result
! Score
|-
| 1995
| New Zealand South Pacific Championships
| Saints
| 1st.[6]
|-
| 1995
| Tactics seven-player tournament
| Saints
| 1st; 910 points.[7]
|-
|-
| 1997
| 1997
| [[New Zealand Paintball Nationals]]
| Saints Black
| Saints Black
| Combined
| 2nd; 866 points.[1]
| Second
| 79
|-
|-
| 1997
| 1997
| Grey
| [[New Zealand Paintball Nationals]]
| Combined
| Saints Grey
| Fifth
| 5th; 780 points.[1]
| 71
|-
|-
| 1998
| 1998
| Saints Gold
| [[1998 Northland Open]]
| Combined
| Saints
| First
| 1st.[14]
| 92.5
|-
|-
| 1998
| 1998
| Grey
| [[New Zealand Paintball Nationals]]
| Combined
| Saints Gold
| Second
| 1st; 1,290 points.[2]
| 78
|-
|-
| 1998
| 1998
| Saints Black
| [[New Zealand Paintball Nationals]]
| Combined
| Saints Grey
| Fifth
| 3rd; 970 points.[2]
| 64
|-
|-
| 1999
| 1999
| [[New Zealand Paintball Nationals]]
| Saints Gold
| Saints Gold
| Combined
| 2nd; 1,025 points.[3]
| First
| 91
|-
|-
| 1999
| 1999
| Grey
| [[New Zealand Paintball Nationals]]
| Combined
| Saints Grey
| Fourth
| 6th; 715 points.[3]
| 77
|-
|-
| 2000
| 2000
| Saints Gold
| [[Northland Open]]
| Combined
| Saints
| First
| 1st.[17]
| 91
|-
|-
| 2000
| 2000
| Grey
| [[New Zealand Paintball Nationals]]
| Combined
| Saints
| Equal second
| Division One winner; 1,000 preliminary points.[8]
| 82.5
|-
|-
| 2000
| 2001
| Saints Black
| [[2001 Northland Open]]
| Combined
| Saints
| Twenty-third
| 1st; 900 points.[19]
| 50
|-
|-
| 2001
| 2001
| Saints Gold
| [[New Zealand Paintball Nationals]]
| Seven-player
| Saints
| First
| Division One winner; 225 final-round points.[9]
| 400.5
|-
| 2002
| The Gathering
| Saints 2
| 1st; 20 points.[5]
|-
| 2002
| The Gathering
| Saints 1
| Equal 2nd; 16 points.[5]
|-
| 2002
| Combat Zone three-player tournament
| Saints
| 1st; 730 points.[20]
|-
| 2002
| [[2002 Northland Open]]
| Saints
| 1st and Division One winner; 666 points.[10]
|-
| 2004
| [[2004 Wellington X-Cess]]
| Saints
| 2nd, Cup.[23]
|-
| 2004
| [[2004 Auckland Queen’s Birthday Superball]]
| Saints
| 2nd, Cup.[24]
|-
| 2005
| New Zealand ranking series
| Saints
| 1st in attributed season table; 93 points.[26]
|-
|-
| 2001
| 2006
| Saints Gold
| [[2006 Wellington Easter Tournament]]
| Five-player
| Saints
| Second
| Cup winner, as reported by the organiser.[27]
| 211
|-
|-
| 2001
| 2006
| Saints Gold
| [[Super 5s (New Zealand)|Super 5s]], Division One
| Three-player
| Saints
| Fourth
| 4th; 3,203 championship points.[28]
| 152.5
|}
|}


The 2001 figures are cumulative tournament-round totals and are not directly comparable with the ranking scores used in previous seasons.[8]
The table retains organiser-published squad names. Scores from different tournament and ranking systems are not directly comparable.
 
== Notable players ==
 
* '''Rick''' – identified as the Saints captain at the 1995 Auckland tournament.[2]
* [[Rik Goldsworthy]] – Saints player and captain during the 2000s; represented the team at the 2004 NPPL Huntington Beach tournament.[13]
 
The available sources do not establish whether Rick from the 1995 team and Rik Goldsworthy were the same person.


== See also ==
== See also ==


* [[South Pacific Championships]]
* [[Rik Goldsworthy]]
* [[New Zealand Paintball Nationals]]
* [[New Zealand Paintball Nationals]]
* [[National Paintball League (New Zealand)]]
* [[Northland Open]]
* [[Northland Open]]
* [[Katipo Paintball Team]]
* [[South Pacific Championships]]
* [[Kamo Karzi]]
* [[Tag n' Release]]
* [[Valhalla National Rankings]]
* [[Valhalla National Rankings]]
* [[Rik Goldsworthy]]
* [[Super 5s (New Zealand)]]
* [[History of paintball in New Zealand]]
* [[Paintball in New Zealand]]


== References ==
== References ==


# ''Australian Paintballer'', June–July 1995, "Sydney HEAT Make Friends in High Places".
# [https://web.archive.org/web/20020613133123/http://www.paintball.co.nz/nats97.htm Rob Maddox, ''The 1997 Two Day NZ National “SplatMan” Tournament'', Paintball.co.nz.]
# [https://web.archive.org/web/20020817071008/http://www.paintball.co.nz/nats98.htm Rob Maddox, ''The 1998 Two Day NZ Nationals Tournament'', Paintball.co.nz.]
# [https://web.archive.org/web/20020817070413/http://www.paintball.co.nz/nats99/ Rob Maddox, ''The 1999 Two Day NZ Nationals Tournament'', Paintball.co.nz.]
# [https://www.oocities.org/mercstar_nz/VALHALLA/2001Hall.htm Mercenaries Star, ''2001 Valhalla National Rankings'', October 2001.]
# [https://web.archive.org/web/20020606121211/http://www.paintball.co.nz/gatheringa2k.htm Dazz Marshall, ''The Gathering'', Paintball.co.nz, 26 January 2002.]
# ''Australian Paintballer'', June–July 1995, “Sydney HEAT Make Friends in High Places”.
# ''Australian Paintballer'', December 1995–February 1996, report on the Auckland seven-player tournament at Tactics, Bethells Beach.
# ''Australian Paintballer'', December 1995–February 1996, report on the Auckland seven-player tournament at Tactics, Bethells Beach.
# ''Australian Paintballer'', December 1995–February 1996, "South Pacific Extravaganza".
# [https://web.archive.org/web/20020613133336/http://www.paintball.co.nz/nats00.htm Rob Maddox, ''The 2000 Two Day NZ Nationals Tournament'', Paintball.co.nz.]
# ''Australian Paintballer'', April–June 1996, "1995 Australian Team Rankings".
# [https://web.archive.org/web/20020806192513/http://www.paintball.co.nz/nats01.htm Rob Maddox, ''The 2001 Two Day NZ Nationals Tournament'', Paintball.co.nz.]
# [https://www.oocities.org/mercstar_nz/VALHALLA/1998Hall.htm Valhalla Hall of Heroes – 1998]. ''Mercenaries Star''.
# [https://web.archive.org/web/20020806192035/http://www.paintball.co.nz/north2002.htm Rob Maddox, ''The 2002 Northland Paintball Open'', Paintball.co.nz.]
# [https://www.oocities.org/mercstar_nz/VALHALLA/1999Hall.htm Valhalla Hall of Heroes – 1999]. ''Mercenaries Star''.
# [https://web.archive.org/web/19990422184406/http://www.xsystems.com.au/wpaint/wpaint1/south.htm Gavin Costello, ''South Pacific's'', ''War Paint'', issue 1, January 1996.]
# [https://www.oocities.org/mercstar_nz/VALHALLA/2000Hall.htm Valhalla Hall of Heroes – 2000]. ''Mercenaries Star''.
# [https://web.archive.org/web/19981206035630/http://www.xsystems.com.au/wpaint/wpaint4/masters.html Kez Svanberg, ''Australian Masters'', ''War Paint'', issue 4, November 1996.]
# [https://www.oocities.org/mercstar_nz/VALHALLA/2001Hall.htm Valhalla Hall of Heroes – 2001]. ''Mercenaries Star''.
# [https://www.oocities.org/mercstar_nz/VALHALLA/1997Hall.htm Mercenaries Star, ''1997 Valhalla National Rankings''.]
# [https://www.oocities.org/mercstar_nz/VALHALLA/1997Hall.htm Valhalla Hall of Heroes – 1997]. ''Mercenaries Star''.
# [https://web.archive.org/web/20020817070759/http://www.paintball.co.nz/north98.htm Rob Maddox, ''The 1998 Northland Paintball Open'', NZ Paintball Online.]
# ''Australian Paintballer'', December 1995–February 1996, report on the Saints' 1995 Australian tournament appearance.
# [https://www.oocities.org/mercstar_nz/VALHALLA/1998Hall.htm Mercenaries Star, ''1998 Valhalla National Rankings''.]
# ''Paintballer'', issue 16, April–June 1997, cover feature, "Warriors Still! The Saints Determined to Regain Feared Status!".
# [https://www.oocities.org/mercstar_nz/VALHALLA/1999Hall.htm Mercenaries Star, ''1999 Valhalla National Rankings''.]
# [https://www.warpig.com/paintball/tournament/nppl/2004/hb/index.shtml WARPIG – NPPL Huntington Beach 2004].
# [https://web.archive.org/web/20010114131600/http://www.paintball.co.nz/north2000.htm Rob Maddox, ''The 2000 Northland Paintball Open'', Paintball.co.nz.]
# Rob Maddox, "Interview: Rik Goldsworthy", ''Paintball.co.nz'', April 2004. [https://web.archive.org/web/*/http://www.paintball.co.nz/articles.htm Archived Paintball.co.nz articles].
# [https://www.oocities.org/mercstar_nz/VALHALLA/2000Hall.htm Mercenaries Star, ''2000 Valhalla National Rankings''.]
# [https://www.oocities.org/mercstar_nz/VALHALLA/RankIndex.htm Valhalla National Team Ranking Methodology]. ''Mercenaries Star''.
# [https://web.archive.org/web/20011217012758/http://www.paintball.co.nz/north2001.htm Rob Maddox, ''The 2001 Northland Paintball Open'', Paintball.co.nz.]
# [https://web.archive.org/web/20020606114058/http://www.paintball.co.nz/cbtz.htm Dazz Marshall, ''Combat Zone 3-Man'', Paintball.co.nz, 27 January 2002.]
# [https://www.warpig.com/paintball/tournament/nppl/2004/hb/index.shtml WARPIG, ''NPPL Huntington Beach 2004'', 19–21 March 2004.]
# Rob Maddox, ''Interview: Rik Goldsworthy'', Paintball.co.nz, April 2004.
# [https://web.archive.org/web/20051218181156/http://www.paintball.co.nz/articles/2004/wgtn2004a.htm Rob Maddox, ''The Wellington X-Cess Event 2004'', NZ Paintball Online, April 2004.]
# [https://web.archive.org/web/20041012125821/http://www.paintball.co.nz/articles/2004/qbw2004.htm Rob Maddox, ''Queen's Birthday Superball 2004'', Paintball.co.nz, June 2004.]
# [https://web.archive.org/web/20051218174533/http://www.paintball.co.nz/articles/2004/roto2004.htm Rob Maddox, ''Rotorua 2004'', Paintball.co.nz, October 2004.]
# [https://web.archive.org/web/20061014073853/http://www.paintball.org.nz/community/showthread.php?t=532 Dannefaerd, ''rankings'', New Zealand paintball forum, 1 May 2006. Attributed account of the 2005 series.]
# [https://web.archive.org/web/20130218103542/http://paintball.net.nz/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=323 ANTSMAN68, ''Prizegiving/afterfunction'', NZ P8NT, 19 April 2006.]
# [https://web.archive.org/web/20071011071333/http://p069.ezboard.com/December-super-5s-scores/fnzpaintballfrm6.showMessage?topicID=360.topic ''December Super 5s scores'', NZ Paintball Message Forum, results posted 4 December 2006.]
# [https://web.archive.org/web/19980204164230/http://www.webel.co.nz/whamon.htm ''Who's Who: Amon Johnson'', New Zealand Paintball.]
# [https://web.archive.org/web/19980204164230/http://www.webel.co.nz/whcaton.htm ''Who's Who: David Caton'', New Zealand Paintball.]
# [https://web.archive.org/web/19980204164230/http://www.webel.co.nz/whian.htm ''Who's Who: Ian MacDonald'', New Zealand Paintball.]
# [https://web.archive.org/web/19980204164230/http://www.webel.co.nz/whkeith.htm ''Who's Who: Keith Docherty'', New Zealand Paintball.]
# [https://web.archive.org/web/20020421081654/http://www.paintball.co.nz/whkyn.htm ''Who's Who: Kyn Allan Jackson'', New Zealand Paintball.]


== External links ==
== External links ==


* [https://www.oocities.org/mercstar_nz/VALHALLA/1997Hall.htm Saints in the 1997 national rankings]
* [https://www.flickr.com/photos/whatever/albums/86811/ Martin Dannefaerd's Saints at Huntington Beach 2004 photographs]
* [https://www.oocities.org/mercstar_nz/VALHALLA/1998Hall.htm Saints in the 1998 national rankings]
* [https://www.oocities.org/mercstar_nz/VALHALLA/1999Hall.htm Saints in the 1999 national rankings]
* [https://www.oocities.org/mercstar_nz/VALHALLA/2000Hall.htm Saints in the 2000 national rankings]
* [https://www.oocities.org/mercstar_nz/VALHALLA/2001Hall.htm Saints in the 2001 rankings]
* [https://www.warpig.com/paintball/tournament/nppl/2004/hb/index.shtml 2004 NPPL Huntington Beach coverage]


[[Category:New Zealand paintball teams]]
[[Category:New Zealand paintball teams]]
[[Category:New Zealand paintball history]]
[[Category:New Zealand paintball history]]
[[Category:1990s in paintball]]
[[Category:Paintball in Auckland]]
[[Category:2000s in paintball]]

Latest revision as of 06:02, 28 October 2026

Saints was a New Zealand tournament paintball organisation based in Auckland. It competed under the names Saints, Team Saints, Saints Gold, Saints Black and Saints Grey, and also fielded numbered three-player entries as Saints 1 and Saints 2.[1][2][3][4][5]

Saints won the New Zealand South Pacific Championships in 1995, multiple national tournaments during the late 1990s and early 2000s, and the 2005 New Zealand ranking series as reported by a participating organiser.[6][7][8][9][10]

Team identity

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Saints Gold, Saints Black and Saints Grey were squads of the same Saints organisation rather than unrelated teams. The numbered Saints 1 and Saints 2 entries at the 2002 Gathering were also separate squads from the organisation.[5]

The Valhalla rankings sometimes shortened Saints Grey to Grey. Those entries are treated as Saints Grey where they occur alongside the other Saints squads in the relevant New Zealand records. Published event names are retained in result tables rather than being silently standardised to Saints Gold.

The available sources do not establish a precise founding date.

History

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1995–1996

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Saints won the 1995 New Zealand South Pacific Championships, held in Wellington during Easter.[6]

Later in 1995, Saints competed in the Australian South Pacific Paintball Championships near Windsor, New South Wales. Seven ten-player teams contested the event, but Saints did not advance to the finals.[11]

On 21–22 October 1995, Saints won a seven-player tournament at Tactics, Bethells Beach, Auckland. The team won nine of its ten games and scored 910 points. The contemporary report identified Rik Goldsworthy, printed as Rick, as captain.[7]

Saints competed in the professional division of the 1996 Australian Masters at Skirmish Adventures in Helensburgh, New South Wales. The recovered report does not establish its final placing.[12]

1997 season

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At the 1997 New Zealand Paintball Nationals, Saints Black finished second with 866 points and Saints Grey finished fifth with 780 points. Jo Pitts was identified as Saints Black captain. The report noted that other Saints players were competing in Orlando.[1]

The Valhalla rankings placed Saints Black second with 79 ranking points. The associated Grey entry, identified here as Saints Grey, recorded 71 points.[13]

1998 season

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Saints won the 1998 Northland Open, finishing ahead of Paint Contractors.[14]

At the 1998 New Zealand Paintball Nationals, Saints Gold won with 1,290 points from a possible 1,300. Saints Grey finished third with 970 points. Rik Goldsworthy was identified as Saints Gold captain.[2]

Saints Gold led the 1998 Valhalla rankings with 92.5 points. Saints Grey, printed as Grey, recorded 78 points, while Saints Black recorded 64.[15]

1999 season

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At the 1999 New Zealand Paintball Nationals, Saints Gold finished second with 1,025 points, behind Paint Contractors. Saints Grey finished sixth with 715 points.[3]

Saints Gold received the Team of the Year award presented at the tournament. Marty Friend received the Player of the Year award for sportsmanship and attitude.[3]

Saints Gold led the 1999 Valhalla rankings with 91 points. Saints Grey, printed as Grey, recorded 77 points.[16]

2000 season

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Saints won the 2000 Northland Open at Jubilee Park in Whangārei.[17]

At the 2000 New Zealand Paintball Nationals, the entry printed as Saints won Division One after recording 1,000 preliminary points. The report does not publish the team's final-round points.[8]

Saints Gold led the 2000 Valhalla rankings with 91 points. Saints Grey, printed as Grey, recorded 82.5 points, and Saints Black recorded 50.[18]

2001 season

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Saints won the 2001 Northland Open at Jubilee Park on 25 February with 900 points.[19]

At the 2001 New Zealand Paintball Nationals, Saints won Division One with 225 final-round points, ahead of Katipo, Jetts and Flashpoint. The report described the team as led by Rik Goldsworthy.[9]

The October 2001 Valhalla standings placed Saints Gold first in seven-player competition with 400.5 cumulative ranking points. Saints Gold also placed second in the five-player rankings with 211 points and fourth in the three-player rankings with 152.5 points.[4]

2002 competition

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At the Gathering at Actions Paintball on 26 January 2002, Saints fielded two three-player squads. Saints 2 won with 20 points, while Saints 1 shared second place with GPS and GBR on 16 points.[5]

The following day, Saints won the Combat Zone three-player tournament in Ardmore with 730 points.[20]

Saints also won the 2002 Northland Open, scoring 666 points and taking the Division One title. Rik Goldsworthy was identified as captain.[10]

2004 season

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Saints competed at the opening round of the 2004 National Professional Paintball League Super 7 Series at Huntington Beach, California, on 19–21 March. Captain Rik Goldsworthy subsequently reported that Saints won three of its eight games.[21][22]

At the 2004 Wellington X-Cess during Easter, Saints reached the Cup final and finished second after losing two consecutive games to the visiting American Evil Factory team.[23]

Saints was runner-up at the Auckland Queen's Birthday Superball at Kumeu. Its best-of-three final against Evil Factory NZ was tied after the first two games and the deciding game ended in a draw. Evil Factory NZ received first place on individual-game countback.[24]

Saints also competed at the Rotorua International Stadium tournament during Labour Weekend. The recovered report records a pool-stage loss to Evil Factory NZ but does not include Saints among the four Cup finalists or establish its final overall placing.[25]

2005 ranking series

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A retrospective account by a participating organiser identified two completed New Zealand ranking events in 2005. Saints won the Easter event with 50 ranking points and placed third at Kumeu with 43 points.[26]

The account placed Saints first for the season with 93 points, ahead of Hybrid on 46 and Menace on 43. It was posted during a later forum dispute rather than as an independently authenticated official standings sheet, so the result is attributed to its author.[26]

2006 season

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An organiser's post dated 19 April 2006 identified Saints as the Cup winner at the 2006 Wellington Easter Tournament. The recovered discussion does not provide a complete result table.[27]

Saints competed in Division One of the 2006 Super 5s. The final standings placed it fourth with 3,203 championship points, behind Menace, XXX and Phantom.[28]

Players and leadership

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Person Documented association
Rik Goldsworthy Saints captain in dated records from 1995, 1998, 2001, 2002 and 2004.[2][7][9][10][22]
Jo Pitts Saints Black captain at the 1997 Nationals.[1]
Amon Johnson Identified as a Saints member in a contemporary player profile.[29]
David Caton Identified as a longstanding Saints member in a contemporary profile.[30]
Ian MacDonald Identified as a longstanding Saints member in a contemporary profile.[31]
Keith Docherty Identified as a Saints member; previously associated with Dragons Claw and The Goodies.[32]
Kyn Allan Jackson Identified as an Actions Paintball operator and Saints member.[33]

The sources document associations at different dates and do not establish a single roster covering every Saints squad or season.

Selected tournament results

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Year Competition Published entry Recorded result
1995 New Zealand South Pacific Championships Saints 1st.[6]
1995 Tactics seven-player tournament Saints 1st; 910 points.[7]
1997 New Zealand Paintball Nationals Saints Black 2nd; 866 points.[1]
1997 New Zealand Paintball Nationals Saints Grey 5th; 780 points.[1]
1998 1998 Northland Open Saints 1st.[14]
1998 New Zealand Paintball Nationals Saints Gold 1st; 1,290 points.[2]
1998 New Zealand Paintball Nationals Saints Grey 3rd; 970 points.[2]
1999 New Zealand Paintball Nationals Saints Gold 2nd; 1,025 points.[3]
1999 New Zealand Paintball Nationals Saints Grey 6th; 715 points.[3]
2000 Northland Open Saints 1st.[17]
2000 New Zealand Paintball Nationals Saints Division One winner; 1,000 preliminary points.[8]
2001 2001 Northland Open Saints 1st; 900 points.[19]
2001 New Zealand Paintball Nationals Saints Division One winner; 225 final-round points.[9]
2002 The Gathering Saints 2 1st; 20 points.[5]
2002 The Gathering Saints 1 Equal 2nd; 16 points.[5]
2002 Combat Zone three-player tournament Saints 1st; 730 points.[20]
2002 2002 Northland Open Saints 1st and Division One winner; 666 points.[10]
2004 2004 Wellington X-Cess Saints 2nd, Cup.[23]
2004 2004 Auckland Queen’s Birthday Superball Saints 2nd, Cup.[24]
2005 New Zealand ranking series Saints 1st in attributed season table; 93 points.[26]
2006 2006 Wellington Easter Tournament Saints Cup winner, as reported by the organiser.[27]
2006 Super 5s, Division One Saints 4th; 3,203 championship points.[28]

The table retains organiser-published squad names. Scores from different tournament and ranking systems are not directly comparable.

See also

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References

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  1. Rob Maddox, The 1997 Two Day NZ National “SplatMan” Tournament, Paintball.co.nz.
  2. Rob Maddox, The 1998 Two Day NZ Nationals Tournament, Paintball.co.nz.
  3. Rob Maddox, The 1999 Two Day NZ Nationals Tournament, Paintball.co.nz.
  4. Mercenaries Star, 2001 Valhalla National Rankings, October 2001.
  5. Dazz Marshall, The Gathering, Paintball.co.nz, 26 January 2002.
  6. Australian Paintballer, June–July 1995, “Sydney HEAT Make Friends in High Places”.
  7. Australian Paintballer, December 1995–February 1996, report on the Auckland seven-player tournament at Tactics, Bethells Beach.
  8. Rob Maddox, The 2000 Two Day NZ Nationals Tournament, Paintball.co.nz.
  9. Rob Maddox, The 2001 Two Day NZ Nationals Tournament, Paintball.co.nz.
  10. Rob Maddox, The 2002 Northland Paintball Open, Paintball.co.nz.
  11. Gavin Costello, South Pacific's, War Paint, issue 1, January 1996.
  12. Kez Svanberg, Australian Masters, War Paint, issue 4, November 1996.
  13. Mercenaries Star, 1997 Valhalla National Rankings.
  14. Rob Maddox, The 1998 Northland Paintball Open, NZ Paintball Online.
  15. Mercenaries Star, 1998 Valhalla National Rankings.
  16. Mercenaries Star, 1999 Valhalla National Rankings.
  17. Rob Maddox, The 2000 Northland Paintball Open, Paintball.co.nz.
  18. Mercenaries Star, 2000 Valhalla National Rankings.
  19. Rob Maddox, The 2001 Northland Paintball Open, Paintball.co.nz.
  20. Dazz Marshall, Combat Zone 3-Man, Paintball.co.nz, 27 January 2002.
  21. WARPIG, NPPL Huntington Beach 2004, 19–21 March 2004.
  22. Rob Maddox, Interview: Rik Goldsworthy, Paintball.co.nz, April 2004.
  23. Rob Maddox, The Wellington X-Cess Event 2004, NZ Paintball Online, April 2004.
  24. Rob Maddox, Queen's Birthday Superball 2004, Paintball.co.nz, June 2004.
  25. Rob Maddox, Rotorua 2004, Paintball.co.nz, October 2004.
  26. Dannefaerd, rankings, New Zealand paintball forum, 1 May 2006. Attributed account of the 2005 series.
  27. ANTSMAN68, Prizegiving/afterfunction, NZ P8NT, 19 April 2006.
  28. December Super 5s scores, NZ Paintball Message Forum, results posted 4 December 2006.
  29. Who's Who: Amon Johnson, New Zealand Paintball.
  30. Who's Who: David Caton, New Zealand Paintball.
  31. Who's Who: Ian MacDonald, New Zealand Paintball.
  32. Who's Who: Keith Docherty, New Zealand Paintball.
  33. Who's Who: Kyn Allan Jackson, New Zealand Paintball.
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