1999 Northland Open
The Northland Open 1999 was a New Zealand tournament paintball event held on 28 February 1999 at Omana Paintball Field in Northland. Nine teams competed across First and Second Divisions.[1]
Saints won the tournament with 476 points, narrowly ahead of Saints Grey on 470. Solidaire won Second Division and placed sixth overall.[1]
Venue
The tournament was held at Omana Paintball Field.[1]
Two playing fields were used. Both were situated beneath a canopy of trees and combined natural cover, including trees and undergrowth, with constructed barricades.
The contemporary report described the fields as cool and sheltered despite hot conditions in the parking and team-tent area. Visibility remained good throughout the tournament.
Spectators could watch from a nearby tower. The tower was temporarily cleared during the event after spectators unintentionally interfered with play by pointing and discussing player positions.[1]
Organisation
The event took place on 28 February 1999 following earlier uncertainty about its date.[1]
Nine teams attended. The contemporary report noted discussion about limiting future Northland Open tournaments to ten teams so the competition could remain a one-day event.
The report also noted that teams travelling from Auckland faced a journey of nearly 200 kilometres. It does not provide a more precise address for Omana Paintball Field.
A marshal known as Stimpy served as head marshal. The two fields were staffed by three and four marshals respectively.[1]
Teams
The participating teams were:[1]
The contemporary report referred to the principal Saints squad as “Saints Gold” for convenience but explicitly stated that this designation was not strictly accurate. The team is therefore recorded as Saints in this article.
Paint Contractors was identified as a Northland team.
Solidaire was based at the Indoor Paintball Field in Pakuranga, Auckland.
Shadow Hawks was appearing in its first tournament involving multiple divisions.[1]
Tournament
Paint Contractors defeated Saints during the tournament and also recorded a maximum-score victory over Black Dragon, losing two players during the game.[1]
Solidaire held out against Katipo in a game highlighted by the contemporary report. Katipo was fielding several new players.
Shadow Hawks did not win a game but held off Saints for four and a half minutes. The team left before the prizegiving.[1]
During another game, Kyn Jackson of Black Dragon accepted a surrender from the Shadow Hawks captain. The contemporary report identified the action as an example of sportsmanship.
Results
The final standings were:[1]
| Overall position | Team | Division | Divisional position | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Saints | First | 1st | 476 |
| 2 | Saints Grey | First | 2nd | 470 |
| 3 | Black Dragon | First | 3rd | 455 |
| 4 | Paint Contractors | First | 4th | 423 |
| 5 | Katipo | First | 5th | 347 |
| 6 | Solidaire | Second | 1st | 323 |
| 7 | Ravens | Second | 2nd | 256 |
| 8 | Crisis | Second | 3rd | 196 |
| 9 | Shadow Hawks | Second | 4th | 112 |
Six points separated Saints and Saints Grey at the top of the standings.[1]
Solidaire won Second Division, followed by Ravens, Crisis and Shadow Hawks.
Scoring review
The tournament's results were recalculated twice after officials found blank spaces where game scores were expected.[1]
The blank entries were subsequently identified as scheduled byes in which no game had been played. The original calculation was confirmed as accurate.
The available report does not provide the complete draw or individual game scores.
Awards and recognition
A sweatshirt donated by Tony Witheridge was intended to recognise Shadow Hawks' efforts.[1]
Because the team left before the prizegiving, the sweatshirt was instead presented to head marshal Stimpy for his work organising and officiating at the event.
The surviving report does not identify this recognition as a recurring or formally named award.
Historical documentation
The tournament was documented in a contemporary report by Rob Maddox, originally published through Paintball.co.nz.[1]
The report preserves the date, venue, participating teams, divisional standings, scores and observations concerning the fields and officiating.
The 1999 result should be distinguished from the independent Valhalla National Rankings for the same season. Saints won the Northland Open, while the Valhalla rankings combined information from multiple tournaments.