The same could not be said of Montgomerie, who, when he did go off line into the sand left of the 13th fairway, faded a two-iron out of trouble to two feet."It is always nice to be able to tap in for an eagle," said Monty, who also recorded five birdies and no bogeys. "Padraig putted as well as anyone I've seen and I enjoy playing with Bernhard Langer He is always a nice guy to beat," he added.. England 4 Germany 6 Mr Dick and Mr Kerr were turning in their graves during the first half of this women's international friendly last night. Not only had the women's game, which drew crowds of up to 30,000 when Preston was its cradle in the 1920s and 30s, attracted a mere few hundred, but England were proving poor successors to Dick Kerr's ladies.The works team bearing the names of those two local industrialists were unofficial world champions in their day and, when England trailed 5-0 just after the break, the evidence that English women's football has gone backwards in world terms was irresistible.A tremendous second half revival saved face and briefly raised hopes that they might snatch a draw, but they had always been likely to struggle against one of the strongest sides in the expanding world of the female game.Women's football likes to promote itself as a contest where pure skill holds sway, as opposed to the central role inevitably played by power and strength in the men's game. It was a shame so few Prestonians knew or cared that women's football was coming home last night, because they would have seen more skilful and imaginative play than in the average Second Division match on the same ground.

But it was also true that Germany's considerable edge in size and athleticism came close to overwhelming England in the first half.They were tormented from the start by the bearer of a surname familiar from the annals of Anglo-German football: Claudia Muller. Sent through on goal as she was in the 10th minute, her male namesake would have been intent on finishing the job himself, but she did the sharing, caring thing by providing Pia Wunderlich with an open goal.Wunderlich soon scored her second with a crisp shot from Bettina Weigmann's cross and then laid on the pass for Muller to find the net. When Kelley Few miscued a clearance into her own net immediately before half-time and Muller claimed her second just after, England were heading for an embarrassment. But, with the wind at their backs, they rallied admirably, starting with Hope Powell's penalty after Vicky Exley had been tripped.Joanne Broadhurst then scored two quick goals, with an opportunist snap- shot and a fine header, and England were completely revitalised.Gill Coultard smashed a shot against the underside of the bar and turned away, Geoff Hurst-style, claiming the goal as it bounced down. Susan Smith followed up to make sure and, with five minutes left, England were only one goal in arrears. A great escape was in the offing, but in injury-time Muller completed her hat-trick.Germany and England are in the same qualifying group for the next women's World Cup, along with the holders, Norway.

Despite their spirited revival last night, England know that they face a formidable task.ENGLAND (4-5-1): Cope (Millwall); Few (Arsenal), Marley (Everton), Bampton (Croydon), Cottier (Croydon); Williams (Arsenal), Burke (Liverpool), Coultard (Doncaster), Powell (Croydon), K Smith (Arsenal); Broadhurst (Arsenal). Substitutes: S Smith (Tranmere) for K Smith, 41; Exley (Doncaster) for Few, h-t; Waller (Millwall) for Bampton, 57; Easton (Liverpool) for Powell, 69.GERMANY (4-4-2): Angerer (Rottenberg, h-t); Stegemann (Fuss, h-t), Fitschen, Jones, Bernhard; Hingxt, Voss, Weigmann, Wunderlich (Bornschein, h-t); Muller, Meinert.Referee: Mr S Lodge (Barnsley).. Cricket David Lloyd has already mapped out plans for England's travels in the West Indies next winter - including a two-week preparation stay in Antigua and time with families later in the tour. Lloyd, the England coach, believes lessons should be learned from this winter's campaign in Zimbabwe and New Zealand, both in terms of preparation and itinerary. A pre-Christmas trip to Sharjah, for a one-day tournament also involving the West Indies, Pakistan and India, has already been arranged by Lloyd - but he feels that more practice and time for fitness work needs to be done in the West Indies before the tour begins."When we arrived in Zimbabwe we were fit, but they caught us cold by picking damn near a Test side in the first game," Lloyd said "I don't want to be caught out like that again". England will now leave for the West Indies early in the new year and Lloyd is planning to have a couple of 100 overs per-side warm-up games arranged for the initial fortnight.The Caribbean programme includes five Tests and five one-day internationals, with the one-dayers coming at the end of the tour.Lloyd, meanwhile, must now concentrate on England's final two one-day internationals in New Zealand and yesterday he talked about the competitive environment now being encouraged within the England set-up."We now have a strong nucleus of players - especially when you look at what we have achieved this winter," he said.

"The Under-19s went to Pakistan and won, the A team went to Australia and won and we have been successful in New Zealand."Today sees the start of the first Test between South Africa and Australia in Johannesburg - and for once the fast bowlers will be overshadowed by the battle between the two leg-spinners: Shane Warne and Paul Adams. Both sides are aware of the match-winning potential both men possess.The Australian coach, Geoff Marsh, said: "We've spent a lot of time watching Adams on video and the boys are looking forward to playing against him. We've formulated a few ideas on how to play him and the guys are relishing the challenge."Marsh's South African counterpart, Bob Woolmer, said: "People are saying that since his operation Warne doesn't pose the same threat, but I think it's more a question of exposure. Like everyone in cricket, once people get used to you, you have to work harder for your wickets, but Shane remains a class act and we regard him very highly indeed."However, Warne has been overshadowed of late by the emergence of Michael Bevan as a Test-class back-of-the-hand bowler. Bevan's pace through the air is in his favour on a Wanderers pitch that is not likely to offer quick turn even to Warne and Adams.Australia are expected to include the young left-hander Matthew Elliott at No 3, with Matthew Hayden opening the batting with Mark Taylor. They have been carrying a number of niggling injuries, but expect to be able to select their strongest side, with the pace bowler Jason Gillespie looking set to share the new ball with Glenn McGrath. Jonty Rhodes, whose fielding will be valuable, may return to the middle order in place of Adam Bacher..