A 15th-minute goal by defender Ranike Anderson gave Tivoli Gardens a 1-0 win over Arnett Gardens as the preseason KSAFA Champions League got under way at the Edward Seaga Sports Complex yesterday.

In the curtain-raiser, August Town came from 1-3 down to earn a 3-3 draw with Rae Town.

The feature encounter between Premier League rivals Arnett Gardens and Tivoli Gardens was competitive as ever, despite both teams fielding inexperienced line-ups.

Arnett Gardens included new boy Kimorlee Brissett, who left Harbour View along with Jaron Richards. Meanwhile, Robert Williams also made the switch from the champions back to Tivoli Gardens.

Both teams started sprightly and Tivoli Gardens were rewarded for their efforts as hard-nosed defender Ranike Anderson bundled home a cross from Steven Rose following a sweeping right-sided move in the 12th minute.

Arnett Gardens pressed hard for the equaliser and in the dying moment Brissett fired over an empty net from point-blank range.

Both coaches were satisfied with the game as they got a chance to look at several players.

Winning coach Glendon Bailey said: “We taking this serious and using it as a stepping stone for the real thing. We still looking at some players… we don’t have the core of the team, but we pretty much getting there.”

Despite losing, Arnett Gardens Coach Calvin Lewis saw positives in the number of chances they created. “I think it was a fairly good game and the high point is the number of chances we created and get to look at some new players.”