LANSDOWNE lost their unbeaten home record to Ballymena and with it the leadership of the Insurance Corporation All Ireland League First Division at Lansdowne Road on Saturday. A defeat by 10 points to nine has inflicted a severe, if not necessarily terminal, blow to Lansdowne's hopes of becoming the first Leinster club to win the title.

To add to their disappointment, after they walked from the pitch, the Lansdowne players heard that the defending champions, Shannon, whom they led on points difference before last Saturday, had not alone won but in doing so improved their points difference by 37 points. A bad day all round for Lansdowne.

However there is no doubt that Ballymena deserved to win what was a very disappointing match but a very good win for the visitors.

While there was a wind that blew into the Havelock Square end of the ground, it was not really of great consequence. That apart, the conditions were excellent - bright sunshine and a dry surface. They were certainly conducive to open play for a side with the wit and will to indulge in the running game. There was, however, little in the way of creative back play and what there was came from Lansdowne. However, it was mostly of a pedestrian nature and the Ballymena defence was able to deal readily with it.

It will afford Lansdowne nothing in the way of consolation that they had to field a depleted force. They were without the services of tight head prop Angus McKeen - how they missed his steadying influence in the scrums - and out-half Eric Elwood and centre Kurt McQuilkin. Lansdowne badly lacked the authority those two players would assuredly have brought to their back play.

This Lansdowne performance was in sharp contrast to the way they played a fortnight earlier. From the outset, however, the Ballymena pack proved a match for the home eight and, in the end, won the battle conclusively. Lansdowne did not have the ingenuity to break Ballymena down behind the scrum and the Lansdowne back row was never able to exert any real influence.

In fact, in ruck and maul, Ballymena were superior and their back row - in which Dean Macartney had a fine match - was the more authoritative unit. They also had a tremendous and very effective worker in the loose in hooker Stephen Ritchie.

He got the only try and it came in the 14th minute from what was Ballymena's initial entry into the Lansdowne "25". Yet the manner in which it was scored was a warning to Lansdowne that they had a hard match on their hands and would have to up the pace if they were to succeed. They never really managed to do this and Ballymena always looked more likely to prevail in the second period in which they had the better of the forward exchanges.

Lansdowne coach Paul Clinch was bitterly disappointed with the result and the performance. Yet his co-operation and readiness to comment was in marked contrast to the reticence shown by Ballymena's South African coach Nelie Smith. A different country, of course, and a different ethic.

"It is a very big setback for us," said Clinch. "We went into the match as leaders and our fate was therefore in our own hands in the league. But we must put it behind us and concentrate now on winning our remaining matches. They deserved to win and their pack played very well. They deprived us of the possession we needed."

Yet Ballymena were also without some first-team regulars, including international James Topping, Andy Robinson and their captain Colin Wallace. The two points they gained has moved them to a more comfortable mid-table position and their forwards' approach had the stamp of Smith's coaching.

Lansdowne's points all came in the first-half from three penalties by Governey. But the general trend of the this half and an interval lead of 9-7 did not induce confidence about their chances.

After they took an early lead, Ballymena struck a crucial blow when they got the try. The prelude to that was a strike against the head by Ritchie and Ballymena got a footing deep in the Lansdowne "25". They retained possession after two rucks and Ritchie forced his way over near the posts. Ricky McIlmoyle added the conversion and his side led 7-3. Two penalties from Governey edged Lansdowne ahead but, in trouble in the scrums, they never managed to ruck and maul with any authority.

They tried to up the pace early in the second-half and, for 10 minutes, looked promising. But Ballymena yielded little and were the better side. They relied on their pack and the kicking of outside half Derek McAleese to keep them in control.

With 19 minutes to go, their pressure forced Lansdowne into conceding a penalty and McIlmyole kicked the winning points from in front of the posts. Lansdowne lost Governey in the closing stages to compound their difficulties.