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Created page with " '''Reavers''' is a New Zealand competitive paintball team based at Asylum Paintball in Kingseat, Auckland. The team competes in five-player speedball and X-Ball tournaments, including the New Zealand Race Series at Arena Paintball in Feilding, Manawatū. Reavers has been documented competing since at least 2025, with contemporary tournament photography identifying several members of the team. Players and personnel associated with Reavers includ..."
 
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'''Reavers''' is a New Zealand competitive [[paintball]] team based at [[Asylum Paintball]] in Kingseat, Auckland. The team competes in five-player [[speedball]] and [[X-Ball]] tournaments, including the [[New Zealand Race Series]] at [[Arena Paintball]] in Feilding, Manawatū.
'''Reavers''' is a New Zealand competitive [[paintball]] team based at [[Asylum Paintball]] in Kingseat, Auckland. The team competes in five-player [[speedball]] tournaments, including the [[New Zealand Race Series]] held at [[Arena Paintball]] in Feilding.


Reavers has been documented competing since at least 2025, with contemporary tournament photography identifying several members of the team.
Reavers has been documented competing since at least 2025. Identified players include [[Jayden Welsh]], [[Kieran Cant]] and [[James Keogan]], alongside a player known as Drew. Other personnel associated with the team include [[Jono Clark]] and [[Vitaly Miheev]].


Players and personnel associated with Reavers include [[Jono Clark]], [[Vitaly Miheev]], [[James Keogan]], [[Jayden Welsh]] and [[Kieran Cant]].
In the 2026 New Zealand Race Series, Reavers was ranked fifth overall after the opening two rounds, accumulating 301 championship points.
 
During the 2026 New Zealand Race Series, Reavers occupied fifth position in the championship standings after the opening two rounds, accumulating 301 championship points.


== History ==
== History ==
Line 12: Line 10:
=== Formation and home field ===
=== Formation and home field ===


Reavers is based at [[Asylum Paintball]], a recreational and competitive paintball facility at 833 Kingseat Road, Kingseat, Auckland.
Reavers is based at [[Asylum Paintball]], located at 833 Kingseat Road, Kingseat, Auckland.
 
The team's precise founding date and original roster have not been established.
 
Asylum Paintball has been a centre for competitive paintball in the Auckland region since the early 2010s.
 
The venue operates dedicated tournament fields and has hosted competitions organised by the [[South Auckland Paintball Club]], including the SAPC Race Series.


Asylum Paintball has also been associated with several established New Zealand tournament teams, including [[Team Insane]] and [[ADHD (paintball team)|ADHD]].
The team's founding date and original roster have not yet been established.


[[Vitaly Miheev]], who is associated with Reavers, has a longstanding involvement in both New Zealand tournament paintball and the operation of Asylum Paintball.
Asylum Paintball operates a dedicated tournament speedball field used for competitive training and organised tournaments.


The venue's tournament facilities provide Reavers with a base for competitive training and preparation. [1][2]
Reavers uses the venue as its home field. [1]


=== 2025 New Zealand Race Series ===
=== 2025 New Zealand Race Series ===


Reavers participated in the [[2025 New Zealand Race Series]], held at [[Arena Paintball]] in Feilding.
Reavers participated in the [[2025 New Zealand Race Series]] at [[Arena Paintball]] in Feilding, Manawatū.
 
A photograph taken during one of the series events shows four identified members of Reavers walking onto the tournament field.
 
The photograph identifies:
 
* [[Jayden Welsh]], wearing jersey number 33
* [[Kieran Cant]], wearing jersey number 23
* Andrew, known as "Drew", wearing jersey number 7
* [[James Keogan]], known as "Spike", wearing jersey number 2


The players are wearing black and white variants of the Reavers team uniform.
A photograph taken during one of the 2025 events shows four members of the team entering the playing field.


The photograph was produced by [[Focused Media]], which documented tournament paintball activity at the event.
The identified players are [[Jayden Welsh]], [[Kieran Cant]], Andrew "Drew" (surname unknown) and [[James Keogan]].


The precise round of the 2025 New Zealand Race Series has not been established.
The photograph, credited to Focused Media, shows the players wearing black and white variants of the Reavers uniform.


The photograph provides evidence of Reavers' participation in the series during 2025, although the team's tournament placing and complete roster for that season have not yet been recovered. [3]
The precise round and the team's final placing have not yet been established. [2]


=== 2026 New Zealand Race Series ===
=== 2026 New Zealand Race Series ===


Reavers returned to compete in the [[2026 New Zealand Race Series]], organised by Arena Paintball in Feilding.
Reavers competed in the [[2026 New Zealand Race Series]], a three-round five-player race-format championship at Arena Paintball.


The series consisted of three scheduled events:
The scheduled rounds were:


* [[2026 New Zealand Race Series Round 1]], 4-5 April
* [[2026 New Zealand Race Series Round 1]], 4-5 April
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* [[2026 New Zealand Race Series Round 3]], 24-25 October
* [[2026 New Zealand Race Series Round 3]], 24-25 October


The competition attracted teams from New Zealand and Australia, including [[Manawatu Titans]], [[Expendables (New Zealand paintball team)|Expendables]], [[Ballistics Unit]], [[BOP Blast]], [[Sydney SWAT]], [[Cult Paintball]] and [[Lumberjacks Paintball]].
Reavers earned 140 championship points in the opening round and 161 points in the second round.
 
The series used a five-player race format with timed matches, inflatable tournament bunkers and multiple points per match. [4]
 
==== Round 1 ====
 
Reavers competed in the opening event on 4-5 April 2026.
 
The team earned 140 championship points.
 
[[Manawatu Titans]] won the tournament, followed by Australian team [[Sydney SWAT]] and New Zealand team [[Expendables (New Zealand paintball team)|Expendables]].
 
==== Round 2 ====
 
The second round was held on 11-12 July 2026 and was promoted as the Matariki tournament.
 
Reavers earned 161 championship points, bringing its season total to 301.
 
Australian team [[Cult Paintball]] won the event, followed by Manawatu Titans and Sydney SWAT.
 
After the second round, Reavers occupied fifth position in the championship standings, two points behind Expendables and twelve points ahead of Lumberjacks. [5]
 
==== Championship standings ====


Arena Paintball published the following championship standings on 12 July 2026.
Following the July event, the team was fifth in the overall standings, two points behind [[Expendables (New Zealand paintball team)|Expendables]]. [3][4]


{| class="wikitable sortable"
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Position
! Round
! Team
! Points
! Round 1
! Round 2
! Total
|-
| 1
| [[Manawatu Titans]]
| 200
| 186
| 386
|-
| 2
| [[Sydney SWAT]]
| 186
| 173
| 359
|-
| 3
| [[Cult Paintball]]
| 150
| 200
| 350
|-
| 4
| [[Expendables (New Zealand paintball team)|Expendables]]
| 173
| 130
| 303
|-
|-
| 5
| Round 1
| '''Reavers'''
| 140
| 140
| 161
| 301
|-
|-
| 6
| Round 2
| [[Lumberjacks Paintball]]
| 161
| 161
| 112
| 273
|-
| 7
| [[BOP Blast]]
| 112
| 150
| 262
|-
|-
| 8
| '''Total'''
| [[Ballistics Unit]]
| '''301'''
| 121
| 140
| 261
|}
|}


The standings represented the championship position after two rounds rather than the final season results.
The third round was scheduled for October 2026 and had not taken place as of 15 October.
 
The third round was scheduled for 24-25 October 2026. [5]


== Players and personnel ==
== Players and personnel ==
Reavers has included players from the Auckland tournament paintball community, including individuals with previous domestic and international tournament experience.


=== Identified players ===
=== Identified players ===


The following players have been identified in a Reavers team photograph from the 2025 New Zealand Race Series.
The following players have been identified in a Reavers team photograph taken during the 2025 New Zealand Race Series.


{| class="wikitable sortable"
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Player
! Player
! Playing name
! Jersey name
! Jersey number
! Number
|-
|-
| [[Jayden Welsh]]
| [[Jayden Welsh]]
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|}
|}


The photograph shows players wearing black and white versions of the same Reavers uniform.
The photograph documents these players during the 2025 season but does not establish the team's complete tournament roster. [2]
 
The listed jersey numbers were recorded in the 2025 photograph and should not be assumed to have remained unchanged in subsequent seasons.
 
The complete playing roster for the 2025 and 2026 seasons has not been independently established. [3]


=== Jono Clark ===
=== Associated personnel ===


[[Jono Clark]] is a former professional paintball player associated with Reavers.
[[Jono Clark]] and [[Vitaly Miheev]] are also associated with Reavers.


Originally from Wellington, Clark competed internationally during the 2000s, including with British professional team [[Manchester Shockwave]].
Clark is a former professional tournament player who competed internationally, including with [[Manchester Shockwave]] in the United Kingdom.


His tournament career also included associations with [[Egotronics]], [[Manc Union]] and other teams.
Miheev is a longstanding Auckland tournament paintball participant associated with the operation of Asylum Paintball.


Clark worked for British paintball equipment manufacturer [[Planet Eclipse]] before returning to New Zealand.
Their specific roles within Reavers have not yet been established. [5]
 
He subsequently operated [[North Shore Paintball]], an Auckland paintball facility that provided dedicated speedball training and tournament opportunities.
 
His association with Reavers represents a continuation of his involvement in New Zealand competitive paintball.
 
His specific role within the team has not been independently established. [6]
 
=== Vitaly Miheev ===
 
[[Vitaly Miheev]] is a longstanding New Zealand tournament paintball player and field operator associated with Reavers.
 
Miheev has participated in competitive paintball since the 1990s, including with the Auckland-based [[Team Insane]].
 
He later played for [[ADHD (paintball team)|ADHD]], which competed in the [[South Auckland Paintball Club Race Series]].
 
ADHD won the 2014 SAPC Open X-Ball season championship, finishing first in all four rounds.
 
Miheev has also been involved in the operation of [[Asylum Paintball]] in Kingseat.
 
Historical tournament records identify him as a contact for competitive events held at the venue during the 2010s.
 
His association with Reavers connects the team with an earlier generation of New Zealand tournament paintball. [2][7]
 
=== James Keogan ===
 
[[James Keogan]], also known by his playing name '''Spike''', is a Reavers paintball player.
 
Keogan is identified in a 2025 tournament photograph wearing jersey number 2, with the name "Spike" and the Reavers team name printed on his jersey.
 
He maintains a paintball-related Instagram account under the username [https://www.instagram.com/shootyball_spike/ @shootyball_spike].
 
Keogan was photographed alongside Jayden Welsh, Kieran Cant and Andrew during the 2025 New Zealand Race Series. [3]


== Team uniforms ==
== Team uniforms ==


Reavers uses a predominantly black, red and white tournament uniform.
Reavers uses black, red and white tournament jerseys, with the team name printed beneath player numbers on the back.


The team's jerseys feature player names and numbers printed on the back, with "Reavers" displayed beneath the player number.
Both black and white variants were worn by players during the 2025 New Zealand Race Series.


Both black and white variants of the uniform were worn during the 2025 New Zealand Race Series.
The documented jerseys also feature Ruthless branding. [2]
 
The black version features red and white horizontal detailing across the arms and upper back.
 
The white version incorporates similar colours and design elements, including red accents and black detailing.
 
The team's documented uniforms also display the Ruthless branding.
 
The 2025 photograph was taken on an inflatable-bunker speedball field using green bunkers and event branding associated with tournament paintball equipment manufacturers. [3]
 
== Competition format ==
 
Reavers participates in five-player race-format paintball.
 
The [[New Zealand Race Series]] uses symmetrical tournament fields with inflatable bunkers and a timed, multi-point match format.
 
The advertised 2026 competition regulations included:
 
* Five active players per team
* Maximum registered roster of eight players
* Ten-minute matches
* Four-point mercy limit
* Hopper plus four paintball pods per player
* Preliminary round-robin competition
* Cup and Plate playoff divisions
 
The competition format is based on modern [[X-Ball]] principles and uses rules established by the event organiser. [8]


== Tournament results ==
== Tournament results ==
Line 259: Line 112:
{| class="wikitable sortable"
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Year
! Year
! Tournament
! Competition
! Result
! Result
|-
|-
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| 2026
| 2026
| [[New Zealand Race Series]]
| [[New Zealand Race Series]]
| Fifth overall after two rounds, 301 points
| Fifth overall after two rounds
|}
|}


The team's complete tournament record before 2025 and final 2026 season position have not yet been established.
Earlier tournament results and the team's complete competitive history remain to be established.
 
== Historical documentation ==
 
The earliest presently identified photographic evidence of Reavers dates to the 2025 New Zealand Race Series.
 
The photograph, credited to Focused Media, records four team members at Arena Paintball.
 
Additional documentation is available through the official 2026 Arena Paintball championship standings, which record Reavers' participation and results.
 
Information concerning the team's association with Asylum Paintball and several players has also been preserved through participant testimony.
 
The team's exact foundation date, founding members and complete tournament history remain subjects for further research.


== See also ==
== See also ==
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* [[Paintball in New Zealand]]
* [[Paintball in New Zealand]]
* [[Paintball teams in New Zealand]]
* [[Paintball teams in New Zealand]]
* [[Paintball tournaments in New Zealand]]
* [[New Zealand Race Series]]
* [[New Zealand Race Series]]
* [[Asylum Paintball]]
* [[Asylum Paintball]]
* [[South Auckland Paintball Club]]
* [[Arena Paintball]]
* [[Arena Paintball]]
* [[Jono Clark]]
* [[Jono Clark]]
* [[Vitaly Miheev]]
* [[Vitaly Miheev]]
* [[James Keogan]]
* [[Jayden Welsh]]
* [[Kieran Cant]]
* [[Manawatu Titans]]
* [[Expendables (New Zealand paintball team)]]


== References ==
== References ==


# [https://www.cab.org.nz/community-directory/KB00003429 Citizens Advice Bureau New Zealand, Asylum Paintball, Kingseat.] Documents the Auckland venue, its tournament facilities and association with South Auckland Paintball Club.
# [https://www.aucklandnz.com/explore/asylum-paintball AucklandNZ, Asylum Paintball.] Confirms the venue's location at Kingseat, Auckland.
# [https://pbleagues.com/event/3853/info PBLeagues, SAPC D4 & Open Event 3, 2015.] Documents Asylum Paintball as a competitive tournament venue and identifies Vitaly Miheev's association with tournament administration.
# Focused Media, Reavers team photograph, 2025 New Zealand Race Series. Photograph and player identifications supplied to WikiPaintball research by Michael Earley, 15 October 2026. Exact event round unknown.
# Focused Media, Reavers team photograph, 2025 New Zealand Race Series, Arena Paintball, Feilding. Historical photograph supplied to WikiPaintball research in October 2026. Player identifications, uniform variants and approximate event date supplied by Michael Earley. Exact tournament round not established.
# [https://www.arenapaintball.co.nz/events Arena Paintball, Official Tournament Calendar.] Confirms the 2026 race-series dates.
# [https://www.arenapaintball.co.nz/events Arena Paintball, Official Tournament Calendar.] Documents the 2026 Arena Five-Man Race Series event dates.
# [https://www.findglocal.com/NZ/Feilding/102027051785091/Arena-Paintball Arena Paintball, 2026 Race Series Standings, 12 July 2026.] Records Reavers in fifth place with 301 points after two rounds.
# [https://www.findglocal.com/NZ/Feilding/102027051785091/Arena-Paintball Arena Paintball, 2026 Race Series Standings, 12 July 2026.] Official organiser's published standings recording Reavers in fifth position after two rounds with 301 championship points.
# Michael Earley, New Zealand paintball oral history, October 2026. Confirms the team's association with Asylum Paintball, Jono Clark and Vitaly Miheev.
# Rob Maddox, interview with Jono Clark, Paintball.co.nz, October 2005. Historical interview preserved through the Internet Archive's Wayback Machine. Documents Clark's early career and professional tournament experience.
# [https://pbleagues.com/league/262/seasonRankings/2014 PBLeagues, South Auckland Paintball Club 2014 Season Rankings.] Documents the historical SAPC competition.
# [https://paintballdirectnz.co.nz/2026-race-events/ Paintball Direct NZ, 2026 Race Events.] Official tournament format, roster restrictions and competition regulations.
# New Zealand paintball oral history, Michael Earley, October 2026. Identifies Reavers as based at Asylum Paintball and confirms the association of Jono Clark, Vitaly Miheev and the players pictured in the 2025 photograph.


== External links ==
== External links ==
Line 319: Line 149:
* [https://www.arenapaintball.co.nz/ Arena Paintball]
* [https://www.arenapaintball.co.nz/ Arena Paintball]
* [https://www.instagram.com/shootyball_spike/ James Keogan on Instagram]
* [https://www.instagram.com/shootyball_spike/ James Keogan on Instagram]
* [https://paintballdirectnz.co.nz/2026-race-events/ New Zealand Race Series information]


[[Category:New Zealand paintball teams]]
[[Category:New Zealand paintball teams]]

Latest revision as of 08:09, 15 October 2026

Reavers is a New Zealand competitive paintball team based at Asylum Paintball in Kingseat, Auckland. The team competes in five-player speedball tournaments, including the New Zealand Race Series held at Arena Paintball in Feilding.

Reavers has been documented competing since at least 2025. Identified players include Jayden Welsh, Kieran Cant and James Keogan, alongside a player known as Drew. Other personnel associated with the team include Jono Clark and Vitaly Miheev.

In the 2026 New Zealand Race Series, Reavers was ranked fifth overall after the opening two rounds, accumulating 301 championship points.

History

[edit]

Formation and home field

[edit]

Reavers is based at Asylum Paintball, located at 833 Kingseat Road, Kingseat, Auckland.

The team's founding date and original roster have not yet been established.

Asylum Paintball operates a dedicated tournament speedball field used for competitive training and organised tournaments.

Reavers uses the venue as its home field. [1]

2025 New Zealand Race Series

[edit]

Reavers participated in the 2025 New Zealand Race Series at Arena Paintball in Feilding, Manawatū.

A photograph taken during one of the 2025 events shows four members of the team entering the playing field.

The identified players are Jayden Welsh, Kieran Cant, Andrew "Drew" (surname unknown) and James Keogan.

The photograph, credited to Focused Media, shows the players wearing black and white variants of the Reavers uniform.

The precise round and the team's final placing have not yet been established. [2]

2026 New Zealand Race Series

[edit]

Reavers competed in the 2026 New Zealand Race Series, a three-round five-player race-format championship at Arena Paintball.

The scheduled rounds were:

Reavers earned 140 championship points in the opening round and 161 points in the second round.

Following the July event, the team was fifth in the overall standings, two points behind Expendables. [3][4]

Round Points
Round 1 140
Round 2 161
Total 301

The third round was scheduled for October 2026 and had not taken place as of 15 October.

Players and personnel

[edit]

Identified players

[edit]

The following players have been identified in a Reavers team photograph taken during the 2025 New Zealand Race Series.

Player Jersey name Number
Jayden Welsh Welsh 33
Kieran Cant Kieran 23
Andrew (surname unknown) Drew 7
James Keogan Spike 2

The photograph documents these players during the 2025 season but does not establish the team's complete tournament roster. [2]

Associated personnel

[edit]

Jono Clark and Vitaly Miheev are also associated with Reavers.

Clark is a former professional tournament player who competed internationally, including with Manchester Shockwave in the United Kingdom.

Miheev is a longstanding Auckland tournament paintball participant associated with the operation of Asylum Paintball.

Their specific roles within Reavers have not yet been established. [5]

Team uniforms

[edit]

Reavers uses black, red and white tournament jerseys, with the team name printed beneath player numbers on the back.

Both black and white variants were worn by players during the 2025 New Zealand Race Series.

The documented jerseys also feature Ruthless branding. [2]

Tournament results

[edit]
Year Competition Result
2025 New Zealand Race Series Participation documented; placing unknown
2026 New Zealand Race Series Fifth overall after two rounds

Earlier tournament results and the team's complete competitive history remain to be established.

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. AucklandNZ, Asylum Paintball. Confirms the venue's location at Kingseat, Auckland.
  2. Focused Media, Reavers team photograph, 2025 New Zealand Race Series. Photograph and player identifications supplied to WikiPaintball research by Michael Earley, 15 October 2026. Exact event round unknown.
  3. Arena Paintball, Official Tournament Calendar. Confirms the 2026 race-series dates.
  4. Arena Paintball, 2026 Race Series Standings, 12 July 2026. Records Reavers in fifth place with 301 points after two rounds.
  5. Michael Earley, New Zealand paintball oral history, October 2026. Confirms the team's association with Asylum Paintball, Jono Clark and Vitaly Miheev.
[edit]