Editing Top Hat Jokers

'''Top Hat Jokers''' was an Australian tournament [[paintball]] team from New South Wales. The team competed in the professional division during the 1990s, winning the 1995 Australian Five-Man Open and the [[South Pacific Paintball Championships (Australia)|1995 South Pacific Paintball Championships]]. It placed fourth in ''Australian Paintballer''’s national professional rankings for the 1995 season.[1][3][4]

== History ==

=== Early competition ===

Top Hat Jokers won the inaugural tournament in the Skirmish Bushmasters series in 1994.[2]

The team subsequently entered two squads, Top Hat Jokers Red and Top Hat Jokers Black, in the first round of the 1995–96 Bushmasters series. Both reached the professional finals, with the Red squad finishing second and the Black squad third.[2]

=== 1995 Australian Five-Man Open ===

Top Hat Jokers won the Australian Five-Man Open held on 25–26 February 1995. The team placed third after the preliminary rounds before winning two of its three finals games and finishing with 212 points.[1]

=== 1995 South Pacific championship ===

Later in 1995, Top Hat Jokers won the ten-player [[South Pacific Paintball Championships (Australia)|South Pacific Paintball Championships]] at Adventure Quest Games near Windsor, New South Wales. Seven teams contested the tournament.[4][9]

The Jokers qualified for the four-team finals and won the championship. Zap Paintballs was identified as the team’s major sponsor at the event.[4][9]

=== 1995 Rebel Tour ===

Top Hat Jokers competed in the professional division of the [[1995 Rebel Tour]] at Skirmish Adventures in Helensburgh on 2–3 December.[10]

The team scored 645 points in the preliminary round and qualified for the four-team professional finals. The surviving online report does not provide its final placing.[10]

=== 1995 national rankings ===

In the national rankings compiled by ''Australian Paintballer'' for the 1995 season, Top Hat Jokers placed fourth among the professional teams. The team accumulated 330.30 ranking points from eight tournaments.[3]

=== 1996 competition ===

Top Hat Jokers reached the professional finals at the 1996 [[Australian Masters]] at Skirmish Adventures, Helensburgh. The contemporary report identifies the team as a finalist but does not establish its final placing.[11]

The team also appeared in the [[1996 Victorian Three-Man Series]], recording 210 series points. Matthew Hawkins, identified as a Top Hat Jokers player, received the best and fairest award at the third round in Ballan.[12]

=== 1998 competition ===

Top Hat Jokers finished fourth in the professional division of the [[1998 Victorian Five-Man Masters]] at Paintball Action Games near Ballan.[8]

== Organisation and refereeing ==

Top Hat Jokers supplied referees and additional players for the [[Penrith Stadium Paintball Demonstration]], working with HEAT and Paintball Australia. The exhibition featured teams wearing Penrith Panthers and St George Dragons jerseys before a rugby league match.[14]

The team helped Brayton Paintball organise a five-player charity tournament for the Starlight Foundation on 14 January 1996. Top Hat Jokers also refereed the event, which raised $2,466.67.[5]

Team members participated in paintball demonstrations at the Channel 7 Sydney Sports Show during the Australia Day weekend in 1996.[7]

In 1998, Top Hat Jokers and [[Team Magnum|Magnum]] supplied the referees for the [[1998 Australian Seven-Player Paintball Championships]] at Yarramundi, New South Wales.[13]

== Members and representation ==

Shane Proctor represented Top Hat Jokers on the committee of the [[Australasian Paintball Players League]] during 1996.[6]

Other members identified in contemporary reports included Glenn Fisher, Ivan Leis, Tim Tham and Matthew Hawkins.[4][6][12]

== Recorded results ==

{| class="wikitable"
! Year
! Event
! Format
! Result
! Source
|-
| 1994
| Skirmish Bushmasters inaugural tournament
| Five-player
| 1st
| [2]
|-
| 1995
| Australian Five-Man Open
| Five-player
| 1st; 212 finals points
| [1]
|-
| 1995
| Skirmish Bushmasters, first round
| Five-player
| 2nd — Top Hat Jokers Red
| [2]
|-
| 1995
| Skirmish Bushmasters, first round
| Five-player
| 3rd — Top Hat Jokers Black
| [2]
|-
| 1995
| [[South Pacific Paintball Championships (Australia)]]
| Ten-player
| 1st
| [4][9]
|-
| 1995
| [[1995 Rebel Tour|Rebel Tour]]
| Seven-player professional
| Finalist
| [10]
|-
| 1996
| [[Australian Masters]]
| Professional
| Finalist
| [11]
|-
| 1996
| [[1996 Victorian Three-Man Series|Victorian Three-Man Series]]
| Three-player
| 210 series points
| [12]
|-
| 1998
| [[1998 Victorian Five-Man Masters|Victorian Five-Man Masters]]
| Five-player professional
| 4th
| [8]
|}

== See also ==

* [[Australian tournament paintball in 1995]]
* [[Australasian Paintball Players League]]
* [[Paintball in Australia]]
* [[Sydney SWAT]]
* [[Team Magnum]]

== References ==

# ''Australian Paintballer'', June–July 1995, “Australian 5-Man Open”.
# ''Australian Paintballer'', December 1995–February 1996, “The Bushmasters Series”.
# ''Australian Paintballer'', April–June 1996, “1995 Australian Team Rankings”.
# ''Australian Paintballer'', December 1995–February 1996, “South Pacific Extravaganza”.
# ''Australian Paintballer'', April–June 1996, report on the Brayton Paintball Starlight Foundation tournament.
# ''Australian Paintballer'', April–June 1996, “APPL — Australasian Paintball Players League”.
# ''Australian Paintballer'', April–June 1996, “The Sydney Sports Show — Taking It to the People”.
# [https://web.archive.org/web/19981205142254/http://www.xsystems.com.au/wpaint/wpaint8/vic_masters.html 5 Man Victorian Masters]. Mike Wallis, ''Paint'', issue 8, May 1998.
# [https://web.archive.org/web/19990422184406/http://www.xsystems.com.au/wpaint/wpaint1/south.htm South Pacific’s]. Gavin Costello, ''War Paint'', issue 1, January 1996.
# [https://web.archive.org/web/19981202005647/http://www.xsystems.com.au/wpaint/wpaint2/rebel.htm Rebel Yell!]. Rod Lewis and Gavin Costello, ''War Paint'', issue 2, May 1996.
# [https://web.archive.org/web/19981206035630/http://www.xsystems.com.au/wpaint/wpaint4/masters.html Australian Masters]. Kez Svanberg, ''War Paint'', issue 4, November 1996.
# [https://web.archive.org/web/19990220102941/http://www.xsystems.com.au/wpaint/wpaint5/vic.html Three’s a Crowd]. Mic Bradshaw, ''Paint'', issue 5, March 1997.
# [https://web.archive.org/web/19981203101247/http://www.xsystems.com.au/wpaint/wpaint9/aus_7player.html 1998 Australian 7 Man]. Simon Morrison, ''Paint'', issue 9, September 1998.
# [https://web.archive.org/web/19981203101255/http://www.xsystems.com.au/wpaint/wpaint1/panther.htm Panther Promotion]. Ross Davis, photographs by Darren Clark, ''War Paint'', issue 1, January 1996.

== External links ==

* [https://paintmagazine.com/paintball-history/1998-victorian-masters-5-man/ 1998 Victorian Masters report at Paint]

[[Category:Australian paintball teams]]
[[Category:Paintball teams]]
[[Category:Paintball in New South Wales]]