A fifth-minute goal by Jermaine 'Tuffy ' Anderson carried Waterhouse to a 1-0 victory over 10-man Tivoli Gardens and to his club's first lien on the inaugural new-look KSAFA Claro Champions League trophy in Tuesday's final at the Anthony Spaulding Sports Complex.

Tuffy Anderson's goal came within minutes after Kevin Thomas signalled the start. Both teams started briskly and were evenly matched up at the time of the first goal, which came from a defence pass from the bustling Waterhouse midfielder André Clennon. This found Tuffy Anderson on the edge of the 18. He controlled and beat Tivoli's custodian Julian McLeish with a signature shot to the far corner.

Ironically, the goal pushed Waterhouse on the defensive. Tivoli Gardens launched a series of attacks with the skilful Davion Boyd as well as the overlapping Dwight Heron and Oraine Simpson as Tivoli Gardens sought to up the tempo of the game.

short-lived

It took the yeoman effort of Waterhouse captain André Thomas to hold Tivoli at bay and in particular, to keep Roland Dean on a tight leash. Tivoli's as cendancy was soon short-lived as they were down to 10 men, as Rupert Murray was shown the red card in the 38th minute. They, however, continued to attack without showing the effects of Murray's sending off for the remaining 12 minutes of the first half.

In the second half, Tivoli went on the hunt for the equaliser. Their efforts were frustrated as Waterhouse pulled all 10 men back behind the ball. In one of their sporadic counterattacks, substitute Roberto Fletcher shot wide an easy chance for Waterhouse in the 80th. The first-half goal and outcome were to remain unchanged when referee Thomas blew the final whistle. Waterhouse copped the Claro Champions trophy and first-place prize money of $250,000.

The victory was a sweet welcome home for Waterhouse coach Geoffrey Maxwell as it came approximately a month into his third stint at the Drewsland Avenue Club.

"To come back at Waterhouse and cop silverware in a first attempt is a good accomplishment," said Maxwell, who last season, was in charge of Portland outfit St Georges.

"We have done very well. It's a relatively young group of players with the exception of a few, and we have been in training for only two and a half weeks. I am proud of their efforts," he said.

Waterhouse, 2009 winners of Champions league.