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] A January 2008 recruitment post described the team as East Auckland Insane and documented plans for continued competition.[12]
Insane placed second in the three-player Valhalla National Rankings published in October 2001, with 181.7 ranking points.[2]
History
[edit]Origins
[edit]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
[edit]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
[edit]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
[edit]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 identify which players transferred or explain the organisational change.[9]
Later activity and X-Ball
[edit]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 Super 5s
[edit]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. The post did not identify an Insane captain.[10]
2007 Nationals
[edit]Insane appeared at the 2007 New Zealand Paintball Nationals at Actions Paintball. In correspondence supplied to WikiPaintball, Findlay identified seven players in a contemporary team photograph: Gareth, himself, Ben, Tabitha, Justin, Francis and Sam. The photograph’s event and date were confirmed by Earley.[11]
Findlay recalled buying the team’s shirts, arranging their screen printing and buying trousers for the players.[11]
Earley competed for Muppets Inc at these Nationals, separately from his earlier membership of Insane.[11]
2008 recruitment
[edit]In a post dated 13 January 2008, Findlay introduced himself as being from East Auckland Insane. He explained that surplus players at the 2007 Nationals had led to Insane fielding its team alongside the nucleus of a new development team.[12]
The development team was not yet named, although “Asylum” had been suggested. The post does not establish that the name was subsequently adopted or that the team was connected to the later Asylum Paintball venue.[12]
Findlay described twice-monthly training, participation in five-player tournaments and promotional and refereeing work for sponsor Actions Paintball. In a reply dated 22 January, he confirmed that the team played out of Actions.[12]
Players
[edit]Early membership
[edit]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
[edit]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]
Players photographed at the 2007 Nationals
[edit]Findlay identified the following players from left to right in the team photograph. Surnames are supplied where established by the other membership records:[10][11]
| Position from left | Player |
|---|---|
| 1 | Gareth Appleby |
| 2 | Jarrod Findlay |
| 3 | Ben, surname unconfirmed |
| 4 | Tabitha Crump |
| 5 | Justin Spencer |
| 6 | Francis Hambrook |
| 7 | Sam Houlihan |
These are photograph identifications rather than a complete registered event roster.[11]
Other recalled members
[edit]Findlay also recalled members named Thomas and Max and a player known as Burger, who were absent from the photograph. He identified Glen, visible separately in the photographs, as an occasional guest player who also joined the group for recreational paintball. Their surnames remain unconfirmed.[11]
Recorded rankings
[edit]| 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
[edit]- 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.
- Jarrod Findlay, correspondence identifying players and team clothing in photographs from the 2007 New Zealand Paintball Nationals, supplied to WikiPaintball on 25 October 2026. Michael Earley confirmed the photograph’s date and event and identified his own entry as Muppets Inc.
- Looking for a new player to join farm team. NZ P8NT forum, posts by Jarrod, 13 and 22 January 2008.