Ballymena's series of so-near-yet-so-far episodes was extended at Eaton Park on Saturday when their stirring finish just fell short of overhauling a composed Lansdowne.

And while Ballymena had cause to feel deflated, Peter McIntosh was left particularly disconsolate after missing a handful of kicks.

Ballymena, efficient up front and inventive behind the scrum, were the more creative side in the early stages, but were given a helping hand by Ballymena's rather fragile defence.

Ballymena even had the tonic of an early Greg Mitchell try, but when Liam Toland barged in for the visitors' first touch-down, they began to look much more menacing. Alan McGowan rocked the home side when he burst through in the 30th minute for a try which he converted for a 15-8 interval lead.

Ballymena were more resourceful on the restart and the busy Andrew Maxwell showed a neat turn of pace when he scurried in for a try in the 47th minute to stabilise his team's overall effort.

SCORING SEQUENCE: 3 mins: G Mitchell try, 5-0; 13: L Toland try, 5-5; 21: A McGowan pen, 5-8; 26: P McIntosh pen, 8-8; 30: McGowan try, con 8-15; 46: A Maxwell try, 13-15; 54: McGowan pen, 13-18; 70: S Rooney try, McGowan con 13-25; 75: D Macartney try, 18-25; 77: Mitchell try, 23-25.

BALLYMENA: S Young; N Beddows, H Swift, G Mitchell, A Maxwell; P McIntosh, B Free; B Young, A Gamlin, L Stewart, D Patrick, M McCullough, D Allen, J Taggart, D Macartney. Replacements: A Kettyle, J Cuppitt, P McBride, D Topping, N McKernan.

LANSDOWNE: B Doherty; F Baynes, A Magro, B Geraghty, R Dolan; A McGowan, S Whelan; E Bohan, R Fallon, C McMahon, S O'Connor, G Quinn, L Toland, S Rooney, G Molloy. Replacements: O Ennis, J Lynn, C Pratt, C Becker, A Tallon, L O'Brien.

Referee: O Trevor (Munster).