In terms of women's trans-Atlantic golf tussles, most people will be looking no further forward than next month when Europe's professionals meet their American counterparts at Muirfield Village to contest the Solheim Cup.

However, one particular Stirling bank official will go back to work this week with her thoughts firmly focused way beyond that, specifically on the new millenium when the 2000 Curtis Cup will be contested at Ganton in Yorkshire.

Former Scottish and British amateur champion Alison Rose was the heroine of the biennial

tussle between the non-paid brigades of America and GB&I at Killarney in 1996.

The pocket battleship, who dishes out dosh on a daily basis, found herself quids in for once as she routed the Yanks with four points out of four in a memorable 11 1/2 - 6 1/2 victory, but having experienced such success is precisely the reason Rose, in particular, felt the pain of defeat so badly as the Americans wrested the Cup back in Minnesota earlier this month.

Always in arrears, GB&I went into the final day knowing they had to restrict the home side to 1 1/2 points from the six final singles to tie the match and take the Cup home.

However, when the Americans won the first two ties, the contest was over even though the visitors rallied late in the day to give the final scoreline, at 10-8, a veneer of respectability.

''We were all in tears at the end,'' admitted Alison. ''We had all put so much into it, so much effort and practice since Killarney. To do that and come away with nothing left us really deflated.''

Although they have a vastly superior record in the 66-year-old event overall, recent statistics show quite the reverse for the Americans, with only one win in the six contests from 1986 to 1996.

Which perhaps might help to explain why, in the words of Alison Rose, the home side seemed particularly 'fired up' for battle this time around.

Living in a nation as large as the United States it is easy to see why many people there assume it is the only country that matters. why else would they call a baseball contest (that's rounders to you and I) played only by Americans, a World Series? Having this psyche leads many of them to be blase about success, their interest only inflamed when the unthinkable happens, and they lose.

A similar situation existed in the Ryder Cup which was in danger of becoming a complete non-event Stateside as, every four years, a frightfully nice but usually hopeless bunch of British and Irish professionals stepped off the plane to be soundly thrashed.

Enter the Europeans in 1979 and, four years later, the Americans' normally gargantuan winning margin was slashed to only one point before the European side won for the first time on US soil at Muirfield Village in 1987.

So what happened in 1991? Thousands of slavering Yanks wearing Desert Storm hats and howling like banshees rolled into Kiawah Island determined to see their perceived world order restored.

Sadly, as history recalls, their plan worked and, by all accounts, Uncle Sam's mob were up to their old tricks again before this year's Curtis Cup.

''Our coach Mickey Walker went to the course just after the Masters in April and said that even then the publicity for the event was unbelievable,'' said Alison. ''They had massive billboards outside the airport and all around the countryside near the course urging people to go along and support the Americans.''

Such nationalistic fervour spread to the team itself, and, in particular, to North Carolinan Brenda Corrie Kuehn, whom Rose thumped 5&4 in Killarney but who played like a woman possessed in Minnesota to gain her revenge 3&2.

Of course, having had the trophy wrenched away from them, it will be Great Britain and Ireland's turn to try to turn the tables when the match arrives at Ganton in 2000.

how should we approach the contest? Should we adopt the American attitude and turn up in North Yorkshire wearing flat caps and brandishing black puddings in a threatening manner? I think not.

No, having talked to Alison Rose this week, I believe the memory of defeat will be enough incentive players such as the Scot need to get back into the team and reverse the outcome.

Having visited Ganton last week for the British Mid Amateur Championship I can also tell you it is a course where only the best play will be rewarded, a tough finishing stretch ideal for the match play format.

Home advantage, a demanding course, and eight determined girls-that should be enough to get the new millenium off to a winning start, surely? If not, take along a few black puddings, just in case.