Cambridge’s U-12 boys won their age group at the McCartney Invitational Tournament in Taupo, playing nine games unbeaten.
For the team, it was their second tournament success in a week, with the Bradley Rea-coached team finishing runners-up at last week’s Weir Rose Bowl. Click here for details about the Weir Rose Bowl tournament >>>>
The U-12s – seen receiving their winners’ medals in our main photo – beat teams from Auckland, Wellington and the South Island, a useful measure of the boys’ progress.
The team play their winter football in the WaiBOP Federation J-League, in which they were runners-up this year.
The U-12s were one of six Cambridge teams to play at the McCartney Tournament.
Named after Taupo AFC’s long-time president John McCartney, this tournament has been held annually since 2004 when it began with eight teams.
It is now the largest juniors tournament in the country with dozens of teams gathering from the North Island.
The tournament has sections for boys and girls aged 8-15.
Here’s how Cambridge teams fared at this year’s tournament:
9th-grade boys
Cambridge came 8th in their 10-team group.
Results
Cambridge 1 Bucklands Beach 1
Cambridge 0 Gregorius 2
Cambridge 1 Petone Settlers 1
Cambridge 0 OJFC 1
Cambridge 0 Fencibles Red 4
Cambridge 2 Tauranga City Vipers 1
Cambridge 2 Taupo 0
Cambridge 1 Knights 3
Cambridge 0 Western Springs Bulldogs
10th-grade boys
Cambridge came 8th in the 13-team group.
Results
Cambridge 2 Miramar Rangers Kiwi 1
Cambridge 3 KCU Prem 0
Cambridge 2 Upper Hutt Orange 0
Cambridge 0 Petone Settlers 4
Cambridge 0 Mt Albert Ponsonby 1
Cambridge 0 Onslow Tui’s 1
Cambridge 0 Tauranga City Black Panthers 0
Cambridge 2 Lower Hutt 2
Cambridge 2 Hamilton Wanderers 0
Cambridge 3 Bucklands Beach 4
Cambridge 0 Taupo 0
Cambridge 0 Western Springs Thunder 1
11th-grade boys (pool A)
Cambridge came 7th in the 9-team group.
Results
Cambridge 1 Metro 0
Cambridge 0 Eastern Suburbs White 0
Cambridge 0 Fencibles Red 3
Cambridge 0 Western Springs Racers 3
Cambridge 0 Onslow Amritsars 3
Cambridge 2 Bay Olympic Hurricanes 2
Cambridge 1 Mt Albert Ponsonby Gremio 1
Cambridge 0 Upper Hutt Orange Lightning 3
12th-grade boys (pool A)
Cambridge won the 8-team group, going unbeaten through the tournament.
Results
Cambridge 1 Fencibles Red 0
Camridge 3 EASC 0
Cambridge 1 Bucklands Beach 1
Cambridge 4 Nelson Suburbs 2
Cambridge 4 Unimount 0
Cambridge 1 Petone 12th Settlers
Cambridge 6 Miramar Rangers Monsoons 0
Cambridge 2 Fencibles Red 0
Cambridge 3 EAFC 0
14th-grade girls
Cambridge finished 7th in their 8-team group.
Results
Cambridge 0 Fencibles Jets 2
Cambridge 0 Bucklands Beach 0
Cambridge 0 Auckland United 2
Cambridge 0 Hamilton Wanderers 4
Cambridge 0 EAFC 1
Cambridge 1 Tauranga City 4
Cambridge 4 Taupo 0
Cambridge 0 Fencibles Jets 3
Cambridge 1 Bucklands Beach 1
14th-grade boys
Cambridge finished 6th in their 10-team group
Results
Cambridge 0 Claudelands Rovers 0
Cambridge 1 Western Springs 1
Cambridge 1 Western Springs Forza 0
Cambridge 2 Otumoetai 0
Cambridge 0 Northland 4
Cambridge 2 Tauranga City 0
Cambridge 0 Bay Olympic 1
Cambridge 1 Omokoroa All Stars 1
Cambridge 0 Bucklands Beach 2
Cambridge 1 Claudelands Rovers 2

Last year’s tournament
Click here to see how Cambridge fared at the 2019 McCartney Invitational Tournament >>>>