Malta Paintball returned to the United Kingdom for the fifth and final round of the 2026 Central Premier Paintball Series (CPPS), competing in Division 5 on Sunday, 18 October.
The six-player squad secured four victories across nine preliminary matches before facing Psycho Pimps Green in a final placement match. While the results fell short of the team's expectations, the event provided valuable international competition experience and encouraging performances from some of Malta Paintball's newer players.
A Competitive Day at CPPS
Malta Paintball opened the tournament strongly with consecutive victories against SBOS (5-4) and APOC (5-3).
The team then faced a challenging series of matches against UK Redskins Mohawks, Manchester Rush, Norfolk Chaos and Staffordshire Vipers, all of which ended in defeats.
Malta bounced back with a convincing 5-1 victory over Bad Touch Inglorious before losing to Bad Touch Benchwarmers. A closely contested 5-4 win against Reapers in the final preliminary match brought the team's record to four wins and five losses.
The competition featured a particularly fast-paced field layout that demanded strong communication, quick decision-making and effective teamwork. Throughout the day, Malta Paintball experimented with different player combinations and tactical approaches, gaining valuable experience against established UK teams.
In the final crossover placement match, Malta faced Psycho Pimps Green, narrowly losing 5-3 to conclude the tournament.
Malta Paintball Squad
The six players representing Malta Paintball at Round 5 were:
Chris Cioffi (Captain)
Jesmond Cioffi
Jay Alden
Michael Earley
Karl Camilleri
Elliot O'Brien
Four members of the squad came from Gozo, including three from Għarb, alongside two players from Malta. This marked the strongest Gozitan representation in Malta Paintball's international competition history to date.
Encouraging Progress from Developing Players
One of the highlights of the weekend was the performance of Elliot O'Brien and Karl Camilleri, both relatively new to international tournament paintball.
O'Brien was making his CPPS debut and took the opportunity to arrive a day early and compete in Saturday's Breakout Division alongside a local team. The additional experience allowed him to become familiar with the tournament layout ahead of Sunday's competition.
Throughout Round 5, O'Brien demonstrated growing confidence and ability, particularly in the Snake position, where he competed effectively against experienced opponents.
For Camilleri, Round 5 was only his second international tournament, following his participation in the 2026 UPBF Nations Cup in Dreux, France.
Both players showed significant improvement throughout the event, adapting to the pace of competition and demonstrating the value of giving developing players opportunities to compete internationally.
Their performances were among the most encouraging aspects of the weekend and highlight the growing depth of talent within Malta Paintball.
The Importance of Regular Training
While Malta Paintball has continued to gain international tournament experience, competing without a dedicated speedball training facility at home remains a significant challenge.
Many UK teams have opportunities to practise on official tournament layouts before competition. Malta's players, by contrast, often encounter these layouts for the first time when they arrive at an event.
This limits opportunities to develop established breakout strategies, practise field communication and build familiarity with individual layouts.
The development of Malta Paintball's own tournament training facilities is expected to make a substantial difference, allowing players to train more regularly, develop stronger teamwork and prepare for future competitions under conditions closer to those experienced internationally.
With work progressing towards establishing these facilities, the organisation is optimistic about the opportunities ahead in 2027.
Looking Ahead to 2027
Although Round 5 did not produce the results Malta Paintball had hoped for, the event was another valuable opportunity for the team to compete, develop and strengthen relationships within the international paintball community.
Malta Paintball would like to thank all six players for their dedication, commitment and sportsmanship throughout the weekend, with special recognition for the progress made by Elliot O'Brien and Karl Camilleri.
The organisation also extends its thanks to Visit Malta for supporting Malta Paintball's international participation, and to the CPPS organisers, referees and participating teams for another enjoyable event.
With growing interest in competitive paintball across Malta and Gozo, plans for dedicated training facilities and an increasingly experienced squad, Malta Paintball is looking forward to building on this experience in 2027.
CPPS Round 5 Results
OpponentResultSBOSWon 5-4APOCWon 5-3UK Redskins MohawksLost 1-5Manchester RushLost 0-5Norfolk ChaosLost 1-5Staffordshire VipersLost 1-5Bad Touch IngloriousWon 5-1Bad Touch BenchwarmersLost 0-5ReapersWon 5-4Psycho Pimps Green (placement match)Lost 3-5
Preliminary record: 4 wins, 5 losses.
Overall record: 4 wins, 6 losses.
Official results: CPPS 2026 Round 5
Photography: Llucia Wood Photography. Images used with credit to the photographer.
