Team Insane
Team Insane, also known as Insane, was a New Zealand tournament paintball team based in Auckland. Contemporary records document appearances from 2000 to 2007 in three-player, five-player and seven-player competition.[1][2][6][10]
Insane placed second in the three-player Valhalla National Rankings published in October 2001, with 181.7 ranking points.[2] Later records include a published six-player roster and results from the 2007 Auckland Super 5s.[10]
History
Origins
According to former member Michael Earley, Team Insane formed around 2000 from players associated with the South Auckland Miniature Wargames Club and Red Alert Paintball Club. Kevin Lunt served as its early captain.[4]
Rob Maddox’s contemporary report on the 2000 New Zealand Paintball Nationals described Insane as a new team whose players had assembled only days before the event. This describes the tournament squad’s assembly rather than establishing a precise founding date.[6]
Insane entered Division 2 at the Nationals and recorded 80 preliminary points.[6]
Indoor competition, 2000
Team Insane competed at the 2000 Auckland Indoor 3-Man Open, held at Urban Combat in Pakuranga on 1 December. It finished fourth among four teams with 15 points, behind Kamo Karzi, Solidaire and Saints.[7]
Tournament competition, 2001
Insane competed at the 2001 Northland Open, held at Jubilee Park, Whangārei, on 25 February. It finished tenth among ten teams with 60 points.[8]
The October 2001 Valhalla standings also record appearances at RotoVegas and the New Zealand Paintball Nationals. Insane placed 21st among 23 entries in the published seven-player rankings, with 28.2 points.[2]
In three-player competition, Insane placed second with 181.7 ranking points, behind DamNatives Red. Its ranking contributions came from the Indoor Three-Man Open Competition and Combat Zone Three-Mans. A separate entry, Insane B, placed 24th with 28.3 points.[2]
Valhalla was an independent ranking system maintained by Mercenaries Star. These positions represent standings across contributing events rather than placings at a single tournament.[3]
Kaos entry, 2002
Maddox’s report on the 2002 Auckland 5-Man Tournament, held at Actions Paintball on 26 October, identified one entry as “Kaos (ex-Insane)”. Kaos finished second among seven teams with 750 points.[9]
The report establishes a contemporary connection between the names but does not provide a complete roster or explain the organisational change.[9]
Later activity
Earley credits Jarrod Findlay and Tabitha Crump with continuing the Insane name beyond its early tournament appearances.[4]
In correspondence recorded in October 2026, Findlay recalled the squad training for X-Ball while also participating in seven-player capture-the-flag tournaments. He described helping organise monthly X-Ball events at Actions Paintball and recalled Insane playing against Intense. The precise dates of that activity remain uncertain.[5]
2007 competition
Contemporary Auckland Super 5s records list Insane eleventh in the June round with 265 points and tenth in the July round with 60 points. The published August standings placed Insane seventh in Division 2 with 325 cumulative points; these were interim standings.[10]
A roster published in July named Jarrod Findlay, Tabitha Crump, Francis Hambrock, Gareth Appleby, Justin Spencer and Sam Houlihan.[10]
Participant identification supplied to WikiPaintball also places Findlay and Crump in photographs of Insane at the 2007 New Zealand Paintball Nationals at Actions Paintball. This identification does not establish a complete event roster.[11]
Players
Early membership
Participant recollections identify the following members across the team’s early history:[4][5]
- Kevin Lunt, early captain
- Andy Lunt
- Neil Morris
- Vitaly Miheev
- Francis Hambrook
- Adam Hambrook
- Michael Earley
- Jarrod Findlay
- Tabitha Crump
This is a partial historical membership list rather than a confirmed roster for an individual tournament.
Published 2007 roster
The Auckland Super 5s thread published the following Insane roster in July 2007:[10]
- Jarrod Findlay
- Tabitha Crump
- Francis Hambrock
- Gareth Appleby
- Justin Spencer
- Sam Houlihan
The source spells Francis’s surname “Hambrock”, while participant recollections use “Hambrook”. The published list does not establish that every named player attended every round.[4][10]
Recorded rankings
| Year | Ranking series | Entry | Position | Ranking points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Valhalla national rankings | Insane | Listed | 9 |
| 2001 | Valhalla seven-player rankings | Insane | 21st of 23 | 28.2 |
| 2001 | Valhalla three-player rankings | Insane | 2nd | 181.7 |
| 2001 | Valhalla three-player rankings | Insane B | 24th | 28.3 |
| August 2007 | Auckland Super 5s, Division 2 | Insane | 7th, interim standings | 325 |
Sources: published Valhalla rankings and Auckland Super 5s standings.[1][2][10] These ranking points are distinct from individual match scores.
References
- 2000 Valhalla National Rankings. Mercenaries Star.
- 2001 Valhalla National Rankings. Mercenaries Star, October 2001.
- Valhalla National Team Rankings. Mercenaries Star, ranking methodology.
- Michael Earley, firsthand historical recollections supplied to WikiPaintball, October 2026, with clarification on 24 October 2026. Covers origins, early captaincy, membership and continuation of the team name.
- Jarrod Findlay, personal correspondence with Michael Earley, excerpts supplied for historical research on 24 October 2026, with accompanying clarification by Earley. Covers membership, X-Ball training and events at Actions Paintball.
- Rob Maddox — The 2000 Two Day NZ Nationals Tournament, Paintball.co.nz.
- Kerry Munro — Indoor 3man Open Competition – Auckland, Paintball.co.nz, 1 December 2000.
- Rob Maddox — The 2001 Northland Paintball Open, Paintball.co.nz.
- Rob Maddox — Labour Weekend Auckland 5-man 2002, Paintball.co.nz, October 2002.
- Auckland Super 5’s Series Thread. NZ P8NT forum, July–September 2007; published roster, round scores and interim standings.
- Michael Earley, identification of Jarrod Findlay and Tabitha Crump in Team Insane photographs from the 2007 New Zealand Paintball Nationals at Actions Paintball, supplied to WikiPaintball on 25 October 2026.