Team Insane
Team Insane, also known as Insane, was a New Zealand tournament paintball team based in Auckland. The team was competing by 2000 and participated in three-player and seven-player tournaments.[1][2] Later participant accounts also describe involvement in local X-Ball competition at Actions Paintball, although the dates of that activity remain uncertain.[5]
Insane placed second in the three-player Valhalla National Rankings published in October 2001, with 181.7 ranking points. The team also competed in the Northland Open, RotoVegas and New Zealand Paintball Nationals that year.[2]
History
Early years
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]
The surviving Mercenaries Star rankings confirm that Insane was competing by 2000, when the team was listed with nine ranking points.[1]
Tournament competition in 2001
During 2001, Insane competed in both seven-player and three-player formats.
In seven-player competition, the team entered the Northland Open, RotoVegas in Rotorua and the New Zealand Paintball Nationals. Insane placed 21st among 23 entries in the Valhalla standings published in October 2001, with 28.2 points.[2]
In three-player competition, Insane placed second in the published standings with 181.7 points, behind DamNatives Red on 226.4 points. Its ranking contributions came from the Indoor Three-Man Open Competition and Combat Zone Three-Mans.[2]
The standings also record a separate entry, Insane B, which placed 24th in the three-player rankings with 28.3 points.[2]
Valhalla was an independent ranking system maintained by Mercenaries Star. These positions represent standings across contributing events rather than championship placings at an individual tournament.[3]
Later activity and X-ball
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 that the squad trained for X-ball while also participating in seven-player capture-the-flag tournaments. He described helping to organise monthly X-ball events at Actions Paintball and recalled Insane playing against Intense.[5]
The chronology of this activity remains unresolved. Findlay initially estimated that the team had finished by approximately 2004, while Earley places the Actions X-ball activity after his own 2005 trip to Malaysia. These accounts do not yet establish a firm end date for the team or whether its later appearances represented continuous activity or a reassembled lineup.[5]
Players
Participant recollections identify the following members across the team's history:[4][5]
- Kevin Lunt, early captain.
- Andy Lunt.
- Neil Morris.
- Vitaly Miheev.
- Francis Hambrook.
- Adam Hambrook.
- Michael Earley.
- Jarrod Findlay.
- Tabitha Crump.
Findlay also recalled teammates named Sam, Ben, Thomas, Justin, Max and Chris, a player known as Burger, and a player surnamed Appleby. Their full identities have not yet been established.[5]
This is a partial historical membership list, not a confirmed roster for any individual tournament.
Recorded rankings
The following entries are drawn from the historical Valhalla National Rankings.[1][2]
| Year | Ranking series | Team | 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 |
The 2001 figures reflect standings published in October of that year. The points were calculated under Valhalla's ranking system and are not individual match scores.
See also
- Actions Paintball
- Valhalla National Rankings
- Mercenaries Star
- Northland Open
- New Zealand Paintball Nationals
- Paintball in New Zealand
References
- 2000 Valhalla National Rankings. Mercenaries Star. Historical New Zealand team standings.
- 2001 Valhalla National Rankings. Mercenaries Star, October 2001. Seven-player and three-player standings.
- Valhalla National Team Rankings. Mercenaries Star. Ranking methodology and scoring rules.
- Michael Earley, firsthand historical recollections supplied to WikiPaintball, October 2026, with clarification on 24 October 2026. Describes the team's origins, early captaincy and membership, and credits Jarrod Findlay and Tabitha Crump with continuing the team name.
- Jarrod Findlay, personal correspondence with Michael Earley, excerpts supplied for historical research on 24 October 2026, with accompanying recollections and clarification by Earley. Covers team membership, X-ball training, monthly events at Actions Paintball and a match against Intense. The participants' estimates of the chronology remain unresolved.