Collingwood apologises for lap dance club visit

DURBAN, South Africa, Sep 18 (Reuters) England captain Paul Collingwood has apologised to the England team management for visiting a Cape Town lap dancing club on Saturday night.

The Sun reported today that Collingwood had made a ''midnight visit'' to the club.

The next day Collingwood was dismissed without scoring as England lost a Twenty20 World Cup match to South Africa by 19 runs.

''I was taken to an inappropriate bar, realised that and got out of there,'' Collingwood told a news conference in Durban today after New Zealand had beaten his team by five runs.

''Obviously I'm disappointed from my side of things and hopefully it won't happen again.

''I made a mistake, that's what it comes down to.'' Collingwood said he had had one beer in the club.

''The friends that I was with weren't massively close friends, to be honest, and they took me to the bar,'' he said.

Asked if he would face censure, Collingwood said: ''That's up to the team management. I'll make apologies to them, I have already.

''I realise it was inappropriate and I'm disappointed with myself.'' REUTERS BJR VC1926