Bad Company (Australian Paintball Team)

Bad Company was an Australian tournament paintball team based in Sydney, New South Wales. The team won the amateur division of the 1995 Rebel Tour and supplied referees for the 1996 Australian Masters. A later account of former player Troy Charlesworth's career credits Bad Company with the 1997 APPL amateur championship.[1][2][3]

History

1995 competition

Bad Company entered the amateur division of the 1995 Australian Three-Man Speedball Championships at Heartbreak Ridge Paintball in Sydney on 5 November 1995. The contemporary report lists its participation but does not establish its final placing.[4]

The team subsequently competed in the amateur division of the 1995 Rebel Tour at Skirmish Adventures in Helensburgh on 2–3 December.[1]

Bad Company qualified for the four-team amateur finals with 265 preliminary points. Scott Anderson was identified as captain, while Steve Ballas played with the team as a guest.[1]

The team secured the amateur championship following its concluding game against Bulljoes. A maximum score initially appeared to give Bad Company victory, before a chronograph penalty temporarily placed Bulljoes ahead. A subsequent penalty against Bulljoes restored Bad Company's championship win.[1]

The contemporary report described the result as Bad Company's first seven-player tournament victory.[1]

In Australian Paintballer's national amateur rankings for the 1995 season, Bad Company placed second with 69.50 ranking points from four tournaments.[5]

1996 competition and refereeing

Bad Company competed in the amateur division of the Starlight Foundation charity five-player tournament at Brayton Paintball on 14 January 1996. It did not reach the four-team amateur finals.[6]

Bad Company Australia and SWAT supplied the refereeing staff for the 1996 Australian Masters at Skirmish Adventures, Helensburgh. Fourteen teams attended from Australia, New Zealand and the United States.[2]

1997 APPL championship

Valhalla Paintball's account of Troy Charlesworth's playing career records that Mike Whybrew introduced him to Bad Company, which it identifies as a Sydney team. According to that account, Charlesworth won the Australasian Paintball Players League amateur division with Bad Company in 1997 before joining Apparition in 1998.[3]

Documented personnel

• Scott Anderson — captain at the 1995 Rebel Tour.[1]
• Steve Ballas — guest player at the 1995 Rebel Tour.[1]
• Troy Charlesworth — member of the 1997 team, according to his later career account.[3]

Recorded results

Year	Competition	Result	Source
1995	1995 Rebel Tour	1st, amateur seven-player division	[1]
1995	Australian Paintballer national amateur rankings	2nd; 69.50 ranking points from four tournaments	[5]
1996	Starlight Foundation charity tournament, Brayton Paintball	Did not reach the amateur finals	[6]
1997	APPL amateur championship	1st, according to Troy Charlesworth's later career account	[3]

References

1. Rebel Yell!. Rod Lewis and Gavin Costello, War Paint, issue 2, May 1996.
2. Australian Masters. Kez Svanberg, War Paint, issue 4, November 1996.
3. About Us. Valhalla Paintball, account of Troy Charlesworth's playing career, undated.
4. 3 Man Speedball Championships. War Paint, issue 1, January 1996.
5. “1995 Australian Team Rankings”, Australian Paintballer, April–June 1996, p. 29.
6. Neil Carpenter, report on the Starlight Foundation charity tournament at Brayton Paintball, Australian Paintballer, April–June 1996, p. 32.