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In what was their best showing for a couple of weeks, the Tigers outplayed Colo Colo only to concede a late equaliser in an entertaining 2-2 draw. Balmain took the lead early from a corner and went in at the break with a 1-0 lead. Colo Colo snatched a lucky equaliser midway through the second half after a cross hit the post and bounced in off a Balmain defender for an own goal. Balmain hit back immediately with Peter Stamatis poking home a Dave Hardwick through ball. However the Colo Colo fans rejoiced after the equaliser and at the final whistle - an indication of how undeserved the result was for Balmain.

The Reserve team put in a poor display in the earlier game and went down 2-0 - their first loss of the season. Despite creating numerous chances, the ball would not go in the net, and they paid the penalty in the end for poor finishing against a side they should really have put away.

The local derby between Balmain and Gladesville ended in a hard fought 0-0 draw despite the Tigers laying siege to the Gladesville penalty area late in the game. Both sides struggled to create meaningful chances on a pitch scattered with lumps and bumps, the piece-de-resistance being the cricket pitch in the middle which had been freshly covered with a 6 inch mound of dirt and newly laid grass.

The Reserve team earlier gave away a 2-1 lead to find themselves trailing 3-2 close to the end. However a late equaliser from Fraser saved the day for the Tigers with the match ending in a 3-3 draw. This is another game the boys will be disappointed they didn't take maximum points from.

Balmain SC is pleased to announce that the Exchange Hotel, Balmain will be our proud sponsors for the 2003 season. The Exchange is situated in the heart of Balmain on The corner of Montague and Beatie streets and hosts live bands, comedy nights, great food, private function rooms and 3 main bars. Manager Simon Tripp has long wanted to support a local sporting side being a Balmain boy himself and he saw the venture with our club as a good starting point.

We hope that this is the start of a long association with the Exchange and thank them for their support. If you would like to book a table or your private function then ring Simon on 9810 1171.

A poor second half from Balmain enabled UTS to put the Tigers away 3-0 on Saturday. The first half was scoreless but UTS took the lead shortly after the restart. Balmain got a sniff when UTS had a player sent off for saying something that the very pedantic referee didn't agree with. However they couldn't take advantage of the extra man and disappointingly conceded two late goals on the counter-attack.

The Reserve team also faced their toughest opposition yet in their 1-1 draw. They found themselves 1-0 down at the break despite enjoying most of the possession and chances in the first half. They fought back well in the second though, with Max Civili scoring a deserved equaliser midway through the half.

The Tigers were denied victory on Saturday by a Trasandinos side that twice came back from a goal down to earn a 2-2 draw. In an entertaining game, the Tigers had the better of the first half but were shaded in the second, with only poor finishing preventing Trasandinos from winning the game at the death.

The reserve team put in another solid performance, and went into the sheds with a 2-0 lead. Similarly to the week before when they faced Roosters FC, they were unable to add to their goal tally in second half.

Our roving photographer Frodo Gothe-Snape was on the loose on the weekend, so check back later for some shots of the action.

Balmain started season 2003 off with victories in both grades away to Roosters FC on Sunday. The first team played reasonably well in a 3-1 victory, with Dave Hardwick opening the scoring, and Vinnie Leonard bagging a second half double.

In the earlier game, a great first half saw the Reserves take a 2-0 lead. The boys would be a little disappointed that they couldn't improve on the scoreline in the secnd half. Nevertheless a good start to the season for last season's champions.

All in all a promising first week, and with a number of quality players still waiting to start their season after pre-season injuries, things are looking good in Tigertown.