Northland Open: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 04:22, 26 October 2026

The Northland Open is a New Zealand paintball tournament name documented in the National Paintball League programme of 1997 and subsequent event reports. Editions have been held in Whangārei, Auckland and Mangapai, using five-player and seven-player formats.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8]

History

Early competition

The Northland Open formed part of the National Paintball League's First Division programme in 1997, alongside the New Zealand Paintball Nationals and Queen's Birthday tournament.[1]

The 1998 Northland Open took place in Whangārei on 22 February. Five teams played five-a-side centre-flag games, with Saints winning overall. The event also served as the opening round of that year's Division One league.[2]

2000–2001

The 2000 and 2001 tournaments were held at Jubilee Park in Whangārei, using temporary fields constructed on a rugby ground. Both used seven-player, two-flag games. Eight teams competed in 2000 and ten in 2001.[3][4]

Brent of Strategy Tag organised the events. Paint Contractors supplied referees in 2000, followed by Crisis in 2001. Saints won both tournaments.[3][4]

2002

Organisation of the 2002 Northland Open passed to Wayne Rolleston of Paintball West after Brent Matthews was unable to run that year's event. Eight teams competed at Paintball West's Auckland site in a seven-player, two-flag format. Saints won Division One and Tag and Training won Division Two.[5]

2006

The 2006 Northland Open was held at an unidentified indoor paintball venue in Auckland. Eight teams competed in a five-player format. Kaos and Snipers were reported as joint winners, followed by Legion and XXX.[6]

The surviving post-event report was published on 6 February 2006 but does not state the tournament's exact date. It described Snipers as an event squad composed of Saints and Menace players. Legion's reported line-up was Kenny, Ollie, Matty, Rob and an unnamed Raiderz player.[6]

2007

The 2007 Northland Open was held on 4 February at A Paintball Adventure, an indoor field in Papakura, Auckland. It used a five-player, unlimited-paint format with a round robin followed by finals. Menace won the Professional division and Sinista won the Amateur division.[7]

2011

The 2011 Northland Open took place on 6 March at Strategy Tag Paintball in Mangapai, near Whangārei. Eight teams competed. ADHD defeated Disposal Unit in the final, while TPC Blast and Gary Locks shared third place.[8]

Editions

References

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+The '''Northland Open''' is a New Zealand [[paintball]] tournament name documented in the [[National Paintball League (New Zealand)|National Paintball League]] programme of 1997 and subsequent event reports. Editions have been held in Whangārei, Auckland and Mangapai, using five-player and seven-player formats.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8]
-'''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 (New Zealand)|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 ===
+=== Early competition ===
-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.
-{| class="wikitable"
-! 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.
-{| class="wikitable sortable"
-! Team
-! Ranking points
-|-
-| [[Saints (New Zealand paintball team)|Saints Gold]]
-| 100
-|-
-| [[Phantom (New Zealand paintball team)|Phantom 5]]
-| 83.9
-|-
-| [[Wellington Phoenix (paintball team)|Phoenix (WGN) Red]]
-| 81.1
-|-
-| Black Dragon
-| 66.1
-|-
-| [[Tag n' Release]]
-| 65
-|-
-| [[Katipo Paintball Team|Katipo]]
-| 62
-|-
-| Warp Speed
-| 32.8
-|-
-| Havoc
-| 27.8
-|-
-| Solidaire
-| 24.4
-|-
-| [[Team Insane|Insane]]
-| 6.7
-|}
-Source: 2001 Valhalla seven-player rankings, Northland Open opening round.[2]
+The Northland Open formed part of the National Paintball League's First Division programme in 1997, alongside the [[New Zealand Paintball Nationals]] and Queen's Birthday tournament.[1]
-Saints Gold recorded the highest normalised score, followed by Phantom 5 and Phoenix (WGN) Red.
+The [[1998 Northland Open]] took place in Whangārei on 22 February. Five teams played five-a-side centre-flag games, with [[Saints (New Zealand Paintball Team)|Saints]] winning overall. The event also served as the opening round of that year's Division One league.[2]
-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]
+=== 2000–2001 ===
-The team's normalised Valhalla score of 65 corresponds to 65 per cent of the available points.
+The [[2000 Northland Open|2000]] and [[2001 Northland Open|2001 tournaments]] were held at Jubilee Park in Whangārei, using temporary fields constructed on a rugby ground. Both used seven-player, two-flag games. Eight teams competed in 2000 and ten in 2001.[3][4]
-The surviving results establish the participation of ten named teams but do not provide a complete final tournament classification.
+Brent of Strategy Tag organised the events. Paint Contractors supplied referees in 2000, followed by Crisis in 2001. Saints won both tournaments.[3][4]
+=== 2002 ===
-=== 2011 tournament ===
+Organisation of the [[2002 Northland Open]] passed to Wayne Rolleston of Paintball West after Brent Matthews was unable to run that year's event. Eight teams competed at Paintball West's Auckland site in a seven-player, two-flag format. Saints won Division One and [[Tag and Training]] won Division Two.[5]
-The Northland Open continued into the 2010s.
+=== 2006 ===
-The [[2011 Northland Open]] was held on 6 March at Strategy Tag Paintball in Mangapai, near Whangārei.
+The [[2006 Northland Open]] was held at an unidentified indoor paintball venue in Auckland. Eight teams competed in a five-player format. Kaos and Snipers were reported as joint winners, followed by Legion and XXX.[6]
-Eight teams competed in the five-player tournament. Auckland's [[ADHD (paintball team)|ADHD]] won, defeating Disposal Unit in the final. TPC Blast and Gary Locks shared third place.[9]
+The surviving post-event report was published on 6 February 2006 but does not state the tournament's exact date. It described Snipers as an event squad composed of Saints and Menace players. Legion's reported line-up was Kenny, Ollie, Matty, Rob and an unnamed Raiderz player.[6]
-Contemporary tournament footage was also published in March 2011.[10]
+=== 2007 ===
-== Tournament format ==
+The [[2007 Northland Open]] was held on 4 February at [[A Paintball Adventure]], an indoor field in Papakura, Auckland. It used a five-player, unlimited-paint format with a round robin followed by finals. Menace won the Professional division and Sinista won the Amateur division.[7]
-The Northland Open formed part of New Zealand's early competitive paintball calendar, during which tournament formats included five-player and seven-player competition.
+=== 2011 ===
-The 2001 event specifically advertised seven-player, end-flag games under Australian Paintball Players League rules.[4]
+The [[2011 Northland Open]] took place on 6 March at Strategy Tag Paintball in Mangapai, near Whangārei. Eight teams competed. [[ADHD (New Zealand Paintball Team)|ADHD]] defeated Disposal Unit in the final, while TPC Blast and Gary Locks shared third place.[8]
-A historical copy of the APPL rulebook was preserved by Mercenaries Star.[6]
+== Editions ==
-The precise format and rules used at earlier Northland Open editions have not been established.
+* [[1998 Northland Open]]
+* [[1999 Northland Open]]
-== Relationship to national rankings ==
+* [[2000 Northland Open]]
+* [[2001 Northland Open]]
-The Northland Open contributed to the 2001 Valhalla seven-player rankings alongside RotoVegas and the New Zealand Nationals.[2]
+* [[2002 Northland Open]]
+* [[2006 Northland Open]]
-Valhalla calculated national rankings from tournament performances, using normalised scores to compare teams across different competitions.
+* [[2007 Northland Open]]
+* [[2011 Northland Open]]
-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 ==
-# [https://www.oocities.org/mercstar_nz/Rules/Leagues/NPLIntro.htm Mercenaries Star, "The Rise and Fall of the New Zealand National Paintball League". Historical account of the NPL's establishment and First Division tournaments.]
+# [https://www.oocities.org/mercstar_nz/Rules/Leagues/NPLIntro.htm Mercenaries Star, ''The Rise and Fall of the New Zealand National Paintball League'', preserved by OoCities.]
-# [https://www.oocities.org/mercstar_nz/VALHALLA/2001Hall.htm Mercenaries Star, "Valhalla Hall of Heroes – 2001". National seven-player rankings, including Northland Open opening-round scores.]
+# [https://web.archive.org/web/20020817070759/http://www.paintball.co.nz/north98.htm Rob Maddox, ''The 1998 Northland Paintball Open'', NZ Paintball Online, archived 17 August 2002.]
-# [https://www.oocities.org/mercstar_nz/Events/EventsIndex.htm Mercenaries Star, "Annual Tournament Events", 2001. Historical tournament calendar documenting the Northland Open's early-season position and temporary rugby-field venue.]
+# [https://web.archive.org/web/20010114131600/http://www.paintball.co.nz/north2000.htm Rob Maddox, ''The 2000 Northland Paintball Open'', NZ Paintball Online, archived 14 January 2001.]
-# [https://www.oocities.org/mercstar_nz/Events/NorthlandOpen.htm Mercenaries Star, "Northland Open 2001". Contemporary event announcement listing the date, venue, competition format, rules, entry fee and contacts.]
+# [https://web.archive.org/web/20010302154631/http://www.paintball.co.nz/north2001.htm Rob Maddox, ''The 2001 Northland Paintball Open'', NZ Paintball Online, archived 2 March 2001.]
-# [https://www.oocities.org/mercstar_nz/Links/TagNRelease.htm Russell Clement, "Tag n' Release Team Profile", Mercenaries Star, April 2001. Documents the team's Northland Open opening-round score and placing.]
+# [https://web.archive.org/web/20020806192035/http://www.paintball.co.nz/north2002.htm Rob Maddox, ''The 2002 Northland Paintball Open'', NZ Paintball Online, archived 6 August 2002.]
-# [https://www.oocities.org/mercstar_nz/Rules/Tournament/APPL.htm Mercenaries Star, "Australian Paintball Players League Tournament Rules". Historical tournament rulebook.]
+# [https://web.archive.org/web/20130218112314/http://paintball.net.nz/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=113 NZ P8NT, “Northland open”, page 1], post-event report by Big SY, published 6 February 2006; [https://web.archive.org/web/20130218112318/http://paintball.net.nz/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=113&start=10 page 2], subsequent player discussion.
-# [https://www.oocities.org/mercstar_nz/VALHALLA/RankIndex.htm Mercenaries Star, "Valhalla National Team Rankings – Methodology". Explanation of ranking calculations.]
+# [https://web.archive.org/web/20080320053722/http://p069.ezboard.com/2007-Northland-Open/fnzpaintballfrm6.showMessage?topicID=362.topic ''2007 Northland Open'', NZ Paintball Message Boards, January 2007, archived 20 March 2008.]
-# [https://www.nzherald.co.nz/northern-advocate/news/paintball-teams-splattered-in-northland-open/KDEZTS2NANHGDVDEOTLZHF7TIY/ Paintball teams splattered in Northland Open]. ''Northern Advocate'', 8 March 2011.
+# [https://www.nzherald.co.nz/northern-advocate/news/paintball-teams-splattered-in-northland-open/KDEZTS2NANHGDVDEOTLZHF7TIY/ ''Paintball teams splattered in Northland Open'', ''Northern Advocate'', 8 March 2011.]
-# [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6X9YNoGmWKI Northland Open 6/3/11]. YouTube, 7 March 2011.
-== External links ==
-* [https://www.oocities.org/mercstar_nz/Events/NorthlandOpen.htm Original 2001 Northland Open announcement]
-* [https://www.oocities.org/mercstar_nz/Events/EventsIndex.htm Historical New Zealand tournament calendar]
-* [https://www.oocities.org/mercstar_nz/VALHALLA/2001Hall.htm 2001 Valhalla rankings]
-* [https://www.oocities.org/mercstar_nz/Rules/Leagues/NPLIntro.htm Original National Paintball League history]
 [[Category:Paintball tournaments in New Zealand]]
 [[Category:New Zealand paintball history]]
-[[Category:Paintball in Northland]]
-[[Category:1990s in paintball]]
-[[Category:2000s in paintball]]
 [[Category:Paintball in Northland]]
 [[Category:1990s in New Zealand paintball]]
 [[Category:2000s in New Zealand paintball]]
 [[Category:2010s in New Zealand paintball]]

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