Wayne Saulter of Captain's Bakery (left) hands over the winning trophy to Bismark Green, the Downs captain. At right is Dale Spencer, president of Manchester FA. - Richard Bryan

Randy Bartley's 38th-minute goal proved decisive as Downs beat Georges Valley 1-0 to win the 2008-09 Manchester Major League title.

Neither rain nor a late-game onslaught by Georges Valley at Brooks Park on Sunday could stop Downs who were winning their third Major League title following wins in 1999 and 2002.

The victory avenged their 2005 final loss to Georges Valley. In addition to the Captain's Bakery Trophy, they will be due prize money in excess of $200,000 as there was already in place a $75,000 bonus for finishing the top team on points after the preliminary round. They also qualify for next season's South Central Super League.

The final lived up to the expectations of a competitive affair as both teams had drawn both their preliminary home and away encounters. Georges Valley got the early attacking breaks but seemed unable to kept their feet in the wet conditions around the 18-yard area. Apart from a few crucial blocks from goalkeeper Bismark Green, the Georges Valley players were often guilty of indecision making too many touches. Downs always looked dangerous on the counterattack, especially through their left-flank player, Wayne Evans.

One such break proved costly as Bartley, despite being hounded by a defender, kept his cool and displayed good skill to control, turn and fire home from 20 yards. Losing coach Karl Smith said Downs appeared to want it more than his team while his winning counterpart Gregory Miller said his game plan worked.

"We knew this game was always going to be tight. I felt confident my game plan would work: control the middle and take our breaks and defend. At one time, we left a gap in the second half where they came at us, but we knew we could defend the one goal," Miller said.