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Saints (New Zealand paintball team)

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Revision as of 10:09, 26 October 2026 by Admin (talk | contribs) (Moved and comprehensively updated the Saints article under the standard New Zealand team title. Confirmed Saints Gold, Saints Black and Saints Grey as squads of the same organisation; confirmed Saints 1 and Saints 2 as its numbered entries; and reconciled standalone Valhalla Grey records with Saints Grey. Added missing Northland Open victories, 2004 Wellington and Auckland runner-up results, the attributed 2005 national series championship and clearer distinctions between event scores, rankings)

```mediawiki 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

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

1995–1996

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

References

  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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