Irish pair Noel Fox and Brian McElhinney were kicking themselves last night after allowing hard-earned advantages to turn to crucial defeats in the Bonallack Trophy.

Europe suffered their second successive reverse at the hands of Asia Pacific  over the Roma Acquasanta course in Rome In the end the Europeans went down 16½-15½ after victory had seemed virtually assured with an hour of play remaining.

Both Fox, the 30-year-old Portmarnock campaigner, and McElhinney, the European Individual champion from the North West club, looked likely to be contributors to a European triumph. They were both one up entering the closing stretch, but neither of them managed even a half.

Fox, who had been three up at the turn, lost on the home green to tough New Zealander Mathew Holten, who canned a 25-foot putt for his success.

McElhinney, who had halved the first eight holes of his match against Korean Kyung Tae Kim, before eventually taking the lead, also fell to defeat on the final green.

He was one up with three holes to play but then lost 16 and 17 and needed to take the last for a half. That looked on the cards when he slotted a 25-foot putt, but Kim, to his credit, stayed calm and knocked one in from around 10 feet for victory.

Scotsman Stuart Wilson and Holland's Jan van Hoof were also one up with four to play but suffered the same fate, going down on the last.

"I knew it would always be close, but it really did look as though we would win with just a few holes to play," said European captain Colin Wood.

One success for Europe was Gary Wolstenholme, who had four wins out of five games.