Dunbeholden grab first win of JPL season

Dunbeholden FC earned their first win of the Jamaica Premier League season on Sunday, edging Molynes United 1-0 at the Dunbeholden Sports Complex to move off the foot of the points table. After four straight losses, the Alex Thomas-coached team got their first points after Tuwain Merrick’s 66th minute goal eased the pressure on the St Catherine based club. Meanwhile, despite conceding a goal for the first time this season, Montego Bay United (MBU) reclaimed the lead in the standings after beating Cavalier SC 3-1 at Turners Oval. MBU improved to 13 points, three more than Waterhouse FC who play on Monday, while Cavalier FC stayed in sixth place on seven points after their first loss this season. In the other game played on Sunday, Humble Lion earned back-to-back points after holding Chapelton Maroons 0-0 at Wembley Centre of Excellence. Dunbeholden jumped four places to 11th place on the points table after Merrick finished off a superb team move by curling the ball past the Molynes goalkeeper into the far left corner in the 66th minute, his first goal of the season and his team’s second. At Turners Oval, Deonjay Brown and Dwight Merrick both scored their second goal of the season and Richardo Ramsey scored his first with Christopher Ainsworth scoring for Cavalier, ending MBU’s run of not conceding a goal at 412 minutes. Brown was well placed at the far right post to volley home a cross in the 17th minute to give MBU the lead and Merrick doubled the lead 20 minutes later with a spectacular left footer from about 27 yards away, beating Cavalier’s goalkeeper Taywaine Lynch at his left post. Ainsworth was well placed to tap home a cross in the 52nd minute to halve the deficit but Ramsey, who had replaced the injured Jourdain Fletcher, and who had missed an easy scoring chance just minutes earlier, made the points sure when he dribbled his way past two defenders and fired past Lynch in the 80th minute. -Paul A Reid