Waterhouse climbed back into third place in the Red Stripe Premier League with a sturdy 2-1 win against an equally robust Arnett Gardens at Drewsland on Monday night’s main feature of a double-header.

A good victory and three points leapfrogged Waterhouse ahead Boys’ Town by two points (47 to 45). Defeat on the other hand, left the Junglists tethering in fifth place on 42 points.

In the evening’s curtain-raiser, Cavalier SC held Montego Bay United to a 1-1 draw with a late equaliser.

Dino Williams gave Montego Bay United the lead in the 39th minute and held firm up to the 85th minute for full points. But the remaining minutes to full time and three minutes added time took its toll on the invaders from the second city, and Cavalier continued to soldier on by sticking to coach David Lalor’s philosophy: “A draw is always better than a loss when your backs are against the wall,” and with less than a minute remaining in time added, they drew level through defender Deno Schaffe.

The feature match, where arch-rivals Waterhouse and Arnett Gardens locked horns, was an entertaining affair, though lacking in real quality football. In its place both teams played with grit, determination and commitment that sometimes overflowed into passionate play that delighted the full house crowd.

For the first half of the match Waterhouse had a 60/40 possession in Arnett’s area and in one of those frenetic surges nine minutes before the break they broke the deadlock.

Something of a skirmish developed on the edge of the six-yard box in Arnett Gardens’ area and Waterhouse defender Hughan Gray, from a reclining position, toe-poked the ball past goalkeeper Peter Harrison to give his team a 1-0 advantage.

But just when the partisan home crowd was settling into a satisfying frame of mind with the result, they were jerked out of their comfort zone and silenced. The visitors struck immediately after through Marcelino Blackburn. The terrier-like midfielder, playing with a lot of passion in his ebullient style, climbed between two Waterhouse defenders to beat goalkeeper Richard McCallum with a well-placed header from a corner kick that was taken on the left.

TEAMS: WATERHOUSE — Richard McCallum, Rohan Amos, Nicholi Finlayson, Jameel Thompson, Hughan Gray, Owen Walters (Damarley Samuels 55th), Hugh Howell, Troy Reid (Weston Forrest 80th), Andre Clennon, Jason Watson, Jermaine Anderson

Subs not used: K Cousins, D Brown, J Benjamin, T Brown

Booked: Reid (23rd), Thompson (58th)

ARNETT GARDENS — Peter Harrison, Desmond Breakenridge, Anthowe Dawkins, Oneil Thompson (Jason Moore 67th), Ricardo Oldham, Marcelino Blackburn (Newton Sterling 67th), Lamar Nelson, Jonathan Williams (Leon Strickland 82nd), Ricardo Smith, Kirk Ramsay, Kenneil Hyde

Subs not used: D Hyatt, K Brown, D Gaynor, A Phang

Booked: Breakenridge (51st)

Referee: Courtney Campbell

Assistant Referees: Kedlee Powell, Richard Washington

Fourth Official: Kevin Thomas

Match Commissary: Michael Ricketts