2005 Auckland Queen’s Birthday Superball
2005 Auckland Queen's Birthday Superball was a seven-player paintball tournament held on 4–5 June 2005 at the Kumeu Showgrounds in Auckland, New Zealand. The competition formed part of the New Zealand Paintball Players Association (NZPPA) tournament programme and attracted teams from New Zealand and Australia.[1][2]
Contemporary records identify fourteen teams in the tournament's Cup and Plate classifications, including Australian entrants Sydney Shock and Sydney SWAT, alongside New Zealand teams such as Saints, XXX, Menace, Flashpoint and Hybrid players competing with other squads.[3][4]
The competition was also advertised under the name QBW Superball.[5]
Organisation
The tournament was held over Queen's Birthday weekend, with competition scheduled for Saturday, 4 June, and Sunday, 5 June 2005.[1]
The Kumeu Showgrounds was the venue, having hosted earlier Auckland paintball competitions.
The event was advertised as the second NZPPA tournament of the 2005 season.[1]
The published arrangements included:
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Dates | 4–5 June 2005 |
| Venue | Kumeu Showgrounds, Auckland |
| Format | Seven-player |
| Paint allowance | Unlimited |
| Paint policy | Field paint only |
| Paint supplied | PMI Premium |
| Paint price | NZ$85 per case |
| Team entry | NZ$500 |
The organisers advertised a captain's meeting on the morning of 4 June, with the field available for inspection on the preceding afternoon.[1]
Contemporary participant reports credited Red Alert Paintball and HSR with running the event and providing refereeing support.[6]
Participating teams
Pre-event announcements identified prospective participants from Auckland, Wellington, the South Island and Australia.
The published results subsequently recorded fourteen entries across the Cup and Plate classifications.[3]
The competitors included:
- Sydney Shock
- Sydney SWAT
- Saints
- XXX
- Evil
- Menace Blue
- Synicool
- Black Ops Factory
- Flashpoint
- Pirates
- Relic
- Impact
- Carnage
- Bad Karma
Menace Blue's sixth-place identification was tentative in the contemporary results discussion.[3]
Tournament results
Cup
A results discussion published on 6 June 2005 identified eight teams in the Cup classification.[3]
The initial report listed Sydney SWAT first and Sydney Shock second. A subsequent contribution on 7 June disputed that order, stating that Sydney Shock had finished first.
The available records therefore establish that both Australian teams occupied the top two positions, but do not conclusively establish their order.
| Position | Team | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1–2 | Sydney Shock / Sydney SWAT | Order disputed in contemporary report |
| 3 | Saints | |
| 4 | XXX | |
| 5 | Evil | |
| 6 | Menace Blue | Tentatively identified |
| 7 | Synicool | |
| 8 | Black Ops Factory |
A separate participant report corroborated Evil's fifth-place finish and noted that Saints had performed strongly in the preliminary games.[4]
Plate
The same results discussion recorded the following Plate classification:
| Overall position | Team |
|---|---|
| 9 | Flashpoint |
| 10 | Pirates |
| 11 | Relic |
| 12 | Impact |
| 13 | Carnage |
| 14 | Bad Karma |
The complete match-by-match scores and original official results sheet have not been recovered.
Tournament conditions
Contemporary accounts described wet weather and muddy playing conditions at the Kumeu Showgrounds.[4][6]
The tournament used an inflatable-bunker field, with participants subsequently discussing its layout, dimensions and the amount of cover available.
Reports also documented the use of a compressed-air system providing fills up to approximately 4,500 psi.[4]
The event prompted discussion about refereeing numbers, safety arrangements and the organisation of finals.
These accounts represent observations from participants rather than a formal tournament report.
Historical records
The tournament is documented through contemporary discussions from the NZ Paintball Message Boards.
An information pack titled QBW Superball was advertised in May 2005, although the original PDF has not yet been recovered.[5]
Separate archived discussions preserve the advertised arrangements, reported final classifications and accounts of the competition.
The first two Cup placings remain disputed in the surviving results discussion. An official results sheet would be required to resolve the discrepancy.
See also
- Paintball tournaments in New Zealand
- New Zealand Paintball Players Association
- NZ Paintball Message Boards
- Paintball in New Zealand
References
- NZ Paintball Message Forum – Auckland QB. Discussion dated April–May 2005 containing the tournament dates, format, venue, entry fees and paint arrangements.
- NZ Paintball Message Forum – NZPPA Series Events 2005. Contemporary discussion of the 2005 tournament programme.
- NZ Paintball Message Forum – Any QB Results. Discussion dated 6–7 June 2005 containing the reported Cup and Plate results and subsequent correction concerning the winning team.
- NZ Paintball Message Forum – My Take on QB. Contemporary participant report discussing the Kumeu tournament, playing conditions, refereeing and team performances.
- NZ Paintball Message Forum – QBW Info Pack. Announcement dated 11 May 2005 identifying the 2005 Superball information pack.
- NZ Paintball Message Forum – Auckland 7s. Post-event discussions beginning 7 June 2005.