South Pacific Championships: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 04:42, 27 October 2026

South Pacific Championships, also known as the New Zealand South Pacific Championship or South Pacs, was a paintball tournament associated with the Wellington region of New Zealand. Its history includes an early account of ten-player competition, five-player tournaments in 2000–01 and seven-player competition in 2002.[1][6][8][9]

It was separate from the similarly named Australian competition.

History

Early history

In an account of House Steiner's formation, Willy Aull recalled that John Sheldon and Lyall Norton of Thunderball Adventure Games were planning the first Wellington South Pacific Open during 1990. The proposed tournament used ten-player teams. This date comes from Aull's retrospective account.[1]

1994

The planned 1994 edition was cancelled because of insufficient entries. In contemporary correspondence, Tony Witheridge attributed the limited participation partly to players being unable to afford the entry fee.[2]

1995

The 1995 championship took place in Wellington over Easter. Saints won, with Australia's Sydney HEAT finishing second. It was Sydney HEAT's first tournament outside Australia.[3]

A later report also recorded Dragons Claw's participation in stock-class competition at the event.[4]

1996

The 1996 championship was advertised for 5–7 April in Wellington. The published calendar named Wayne Hillman as the tournament contact.[5]

2000

The 2000 championship took place at Thunderball Adventure Games on 22–23 April, followed by a recreational day on 24 April. Ten teams attended the five-player competition.[6]

Phoenix qualified for the finals alongside Saints, House Steiner and Paint Contractors, then finished fourth. The Phoenix account does not establish the finishing order of the other three finalists.[6]

2001

The 2001 tournament took place on 14–15 April at Thunderball Paintball, Manor Park. The announcement specified open five-player centre-flag competition under Australian Paintball Players League rules, with John Clement as the contact.[8]

Tag n' Release won the tournament. Phoenix's team history records fourth place.[6][7]

2002

Eight teams competed in the 2002 seven-player tournament on 30–31 March at Thunderball Adventure Games. Games took place on the venue's speedball field, which used tyre barricades and large cable reels. Wayne Hilliam served as ultimate referee.[9]

Saints, Tag n' Release, Damage and Tag and Training qualified for the finals. Saints won, while Tag and Training finished one point ahead of Tag n' Release.[9]

2002 finishing order
Position	Team
1	Saints
2	Tag and Training
3	Tag n' Release
4	Damage
5	Phoenix
6	Rush
7	Flashpoint
8	Tag 'n' Boys

The contemporary report gives the finishing order but does not publish points totals.[9]

Editions

1994 South Pacific Championships — cancelled
1995 South Pacific Championships
1996 South Pacific Championships — advertised
2000 South Pacific Championships
2001 South Pacific Championships
2002 South Pacific Championships

References

Willy Aull, Paintball.co.nz player profile. Archived 22 February 2002.
Tony Witheridge, “Tony has a go at Lukas”, Australian Paintballer, June–July 1995, p. 23.
Peter Russell, “Sydney HEAT make friends in high places”, Australian Paintballer, June–July 1995, p. 9.
Cameron McLeay, “The New Zealand Nationals — Labour Weekend 1995”, Australian Paintballer, December 1995–February 1996, p. 63.
“New Zealand Tournament Calendar 1996”, Australian Paintballer, April–June 1996, p. 70.
Wellington Phoenix, News. South Pacific Championship reports headed 27 April 2000 and 24 April 2001. Archived 20 October 2001.
Wellington Phoenix, History. Records 2000–01 tournament results. Archived 17 December 2001.
South Pacific Championships. Mercenaries Star, tournament announcement for 14–15 April 2001. Preserved by OoCities.
SouthPacs 2002. Paintball.co.nz. Includes Martin Dannefaerd's tournament report and “South Pacs 30–31 March 2002” by Ants, captain of Team T.N.T. Archived 17 August 2002.

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-'''South Pacific Championships''', also known as the '''New Zealand South Pacific Championship''' or '''South Pacs''', was a paintball tournament associated with the Wellington region of [[Paintball in New Zealand|New Zealand]]. Its documented formats included ten-player competition in an early participant account and five-player competition in 2000–01.[1][7][9]
+'''South Pacific Championships''', also known as the '''New Zealand South Pacific Championship''' or '''South Pacs''', was a paintball tournament associated with the Wellington region of New Zealand. Its history includes an early account of ten-player competition, five-player tournaments in 2000–01 and seven-player competition in 2002.[1][6][8][9]
-The tournament was separate from the [[South Pacific Paintball Championships (Australia)|similarly named Australian competition]].
+It was separate from the [[South Pacific Paintball Championships (Australia)|similarly named Australian competition]].
 == History ==
 === Early history ===
+In an account of [[House Steiner]]'s formation, Willy Aull recalled that John Sheldon and Lyall Norton of Thunderball Adventure Games were planning the first Wellington South Pacific Open during 1990. The proposed tournament used ten-player teams. This date comes from Aull's retrospective account.[1]
-In an account of [[House Steiner]]'s formation, Willy Aull recalled that John Sheldon and Lyall Norton of Thunderball Adventure Games were planning the first Wellington '''South Pacific Open''' during 1990. The proposed tournament used ten-player teams.[1]
-Aull named himself, his brothers Doug and David Aull, and Marcel Ensing among the intended entrants who assembled the House Steiner tournament team. He also recalled recruiting six other Thunderball players, whom he did not name.[1]
-A later Mercenaries Star calendar described the South Pacific Championship as one of New Zealand's oldest tournaments, attracting teams from both main islands.[2]
 === 1994 ===
+The [[1994 South Pacific Championships|planned 1994 edition]] was cancelled because of insufficient entries. In contemporary correspondence, Tony Witheridge attributed the limited participation partly to players being unable to afford the entry fee.[2]
-A planned 1994 edition was cancelled because of insufficient entries. Correspondence published in ''Australian Paintballer'' attributed the limited participation partly to the cost of entering the Wellington tournament.[3]
 === 1995 ===
+The [[1995 South Pacific Championships|1995 championship]] took place in Wellington over Easter. [[Saints (New Zealand paintball team)|Saints]] won, with Australia's Sydney HEAT finishing second. It was Sydney HEAT's first tournament outside Australia.[3]
-The 1995 championship took place in Wellington over Easter. [[Saints (New Zealand paintball team)|Saints]] won, with Australia's [[Sydney HEAT]] finishing second.[4]
+A later report also recorded Dragons Claw's participation in stock-class competition at the event.[4]
-{| class="wikitable"
-|+ Documented 1995 placings
-! Place !! Team
-|-
-| 1 || [[Saints (New Zealand paintball team)|Saints]]
-|-
-| 2 || [[Sydney HEAT]]
-|}
-The event was Sydney HEAT's first tournament outside Australia. Its travelling contingent included former Oz-Ball players '''Peter Russell, Martin Yew, Matthew Hawkins and Robert Ambrose'''. These four names represent part of the contingent, rather than a complete playing roster.[4]
-A later report also recorded Dragons Claw's participation in stock-class competition at the South Pacific Championships.[5]
 === 1996 ===
+The [[1996 South Pacific Championships|1996 championship]] was advertised for 5–7 April in Wellington. The published calendar named Wayne Hillman as the tournament contact.[5]
-The 1996 championship was advertised for '''5–7 April in Wellington'''. The published calendar named '''Wayne Hillman''' as the tournament contact.[6]
 === 2000 ===
+The [[2000 South Pacific Championships|2000 championship]] took place at Thunderball Adventure Games on 22–23 April, followed by a recreational day on 24 April. Ten teams attended the five-player competition.[6]
-The 2000 championship was held at '''Thunderball Adventure Games, Wellington''', on '''22–23 April''', followed by a recreational day on 24 April. Ten teams attended the five-player tournament.[7]
+[[Wellington Phoenix (paintball team)|Phoenix]] qualified for the finals alongside Saints, House Steiner and Paint Contractors, then finished fourth. The Phoenix account does not establish the finishing order of the other three finalists.[6]
-The entrants were Phoenix, House Steiner, Paint Contractors, Saints, Viper, Warp Speed, Flashpoint, Solidaire, Damn Natives and DOA.[7]
-[[Wellington Phoenix (paintball team)|Phoenix]] qualified for the finals alongside Saints, House Steiner and Paint Contractors, then finished fourth. The Phoenix account does not give the finishing order of the other three finalists.[7]
-{| class="wikitable"
-|+ Documented 2000 result
-! Place !! Team
-|-
-| 4 || [[Wellington Phoenix (paintball team)|Phoenix]]
-|}
-The report names '''Peter Hamilton, Jeremy Hooper and Shane Grant''' in descriptions of Phoenix's games. This is a partial identification of the event squad.[7]
 === 2001 ===
+The [[2001 South Pacific Championships|2001 tournament]] took place on 14–15 April at Thunderball Paintball, Manor Park. The announcement specified open five-player centre-flag competition under Australian Paintball Players League rules, with John Clement as the contact.[8]
-The 2001 championship was held on '''14–15 April''' at '''Thunderball Paintball, Manor Park''', in the Wellington region. The announcement specified open five-player centre-flag competition under Australian Paintball Players League rules, with entry of NZ$350 per team. '''John Clement''' was the tournament contact.[9]
+[[Tag n' Release]] won the tournament. Phoenix's team history records fourth place.[6][7]
-A Phoenix report congratulated [[Tag n' Release]] on winning the tournament. Phoenix's history recorded its own fourth-place finish.[7][8]
+=== 2002 ===
+Eight teams competed in the [[2002 South Pacific Championships|2002 seven-player tournament]] on 30–31 March at Thunderball Adventure Games. Games took place on the venue's speedball field, which used tyre barricades and large cable reels. Wayne Hilliam served as ultimate referee.[9]
-{| class="wikitable"
+Saints, Tag n' Release, Damage and [[Tag and Training]] qualified for the finals. Saints won, while Tag and Training finished one point ahead of Tag n' Release.[9]
-|+ Documented 2001 results
-! Place !! Team
-|-
-| 1 || [[Tag n' Release]]
-|-
-| 4 || [[Wellington Phoenix (paintball team)|Phoenix]]
-|}
-==== Valhalla scoring records ====
-The [[Valhalla National Rankings]] preserved the following normalised scores from the preliminary and final stages. These are ranking contributions, rather than raw tournament points or a complete finishing order.[10]
 {| class="wikitable"
-! Team !! Preliminary score !! Final score
+|+ 2002 finishing order
+! Position !! Team
 |-
-| Saints Gold || 71.9 || 48.0
+| 1 || [[Saints (New Zealand paintball team)|Saints]]
 |-
-| Tag n' Release || 68.3 || 56.5
+| 2 || [[Tag and Training]]
 |-
-| Phoenix Wellington || 47.1 || 20.0
+| 3 || [[Tag n' Release]]
 |-
-| DamNatives || 42.3 || 40.0
+| 4 || Damage
 |-
-| Fusion || 36.3 || —
+| 5 || [[Wellington Phoenix (paintball team)|Phoenix]]
 |-
-| Flashpoint || 24.0 || —
+| 6 || Rush
 |-
-| Nutters || 24.0 || —
+| 7 || [[Flashpoint (New Zealand)|Flashpoint]]
 |-
-| P.C/B.C || 7.7 || —
+| 8 || Tag 'n' Boys
 |}
-A dash indicates that no final-stage score was recorded in the table.[10]
+The contemporary report gives the finishing order but does not publish points totals.[9]
+== Editions ==
+* [[1994 South Pacific Championships]] — cancelled
+* [[1995 South Pacific Championships]]
+* [[1996 South Pacific Championships]] — advertised
+* [[2000 South Pacific Championships]]
+* [[2001 South Pacific Championships]]
+* [[2002 South Pacific Championships]]
 == See also ==
 * [[Paintball in New Zealand]]
 * [[South Pacific Paintball Championships (Australia)]]
 * [[Wellington Cup]]
 * [[New Zealand Paintball Nationals]]
-* [[House Steiner]]
-* [[Tag n' Release]]
 == References ==
+# [https://web.archive.org/web/20020222021443/http://www.paintball.co.nz/whwaull.htm Willy Aull, Paintball.co.nz player profile]. Archived 22 February 2002.
-# [https://web.archive.org/web/20020222021443/http://www.paintball.co.nz/whwaull.htm ''Willy Aull'', Paintball.co.nz player profile; archived 22 February 2002.]
+# Tony Witheridge, “Tony has a go at Lukas”, ''[[Australian Paintballer]]'', June–July 1995, p. 23.
-# [https://www.oocities.org/mercstar_nz/Events/EventsIndex.htm Mercenaries Star, ''Annual Tournament Events'', 2001; preserved by OoCities.]
+# Peter Russell, “Sydney HEAT make friends in high places”, ''Australian Paintballer'', June–July 1995, p. 9.
-# ''Australian Paintballer'', June–July 1995, letters concerning the Wellington South Pacific Championships and New Zealand tournament participation.
+# Cameron McLeay, “The New Zealand Nationals — Labour Weekend 1995”, ''Australian Paintballer'', December 1995–February 1996, p. 63.
-# ''Australian Paintballer'', June–July 1995, “Sydney HEAT Make Friends in High Places”.
+# “New Zealand Tournament Calendar 1996”, ''Australian Paintballer'', April–June 1996, p. 70.
-# ''Australian Paintballer'', December 1995–February 1996, report on the 1995 Auckland tournament and preview of the 1996 New Zealand South Pacific Championships.
+# [https://web.archive.org/web/20011020080141fw_/http://www.blacksun.co.nz/phoenix/news.htm Wellington Phoenix, News]. South Pacific Championship reports headed 27 April 2000 and 24 April 2001. Archived 20 October 2001.
-# ''Australian Paintballer'', April–June 1996, “New Zealand Tournament Calendar 1996”.
+# [https://web.archive.org/web/20011217030354fw_/http://www.blacksun.co.nz/phoenix/history.htm Wellington Phoenix, History]. Records 2000–01 tournament results. Archived 17 December 2001.
-# [https://web.archive.org/web/20011020080141fw_/http://www.blacksun.co.nz/phoenix/news.htm Wellington Phoenix, ''News'', South Pacific Championship reports dated 27 April 2000 and 24 April 2001; archived 20 October 2001.]
+# [https://www.oocities.org/mercstar_nz/Events/SouthPac.htm South Pacific Championships]. Mercenaries Star, tournament announcement for 14–15 April 2001. Preserved by OoCities.
-# [https://web.archive.org/web/20011217030354fw_/http://www.blacksun.co.nz/phoenix/history.htm Wellington Phoenix, ''History'', 2000–01 tournament results; archived 17 December 2001.]
+# [https://web.archive.org/web/20020817064944/http://www.paintball.co.nz/sthpac02.htm SouthPacs 2002]. Paintball.co.nz. Includes Martin Dannefaerd's tournament report and “South Pacs 30–31 March 2002” by Ants, captain of Team T.N.T. Archived 17 August 2002.
-# [https://www.oocities.org/mercstar_nz/Events/SouthPac.htm Mercenaries Star, ''South Pacific Championships, 2001'', tournament announcement; preserved by OoCities.]
-# [https://www.oocities.org/mercstar_nz/VALHALLA/2001Hall.htm Mercenaries Star, ''Valhalla Hall of Heroes – 2001'', five-player rankings; preserved by OoCities.]
 [[Category:Paintball tournaments in New Zealand]]
+[[Category:Paintball in Wellington]]
 [[Category:New Zealand paintball history]]
 [[Category:1990s in New Zealand paintball]]
 [[Category:2000s in New Zealand paintball]]

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