Almanack: Bullied beef take a dive

DEEP gloom in Spanish bullfighting circles: the animals, it seems, are no longer up to the job. Fans of the bloodthirsty pursuit complain that too many modern bulls are shirking the fight or simply keeling over before the action can begin. In the old days, they say this would never have happened. A few hard-line aficionados of the corrida blame in- breeding; others mutter about a mysterious genetically transmitted disease. Is this the first instance of BSE in sport, or are the bovine cowards taking a dive?

TRUCK racers are not shy people: odd, then, that Slim Borgudd, who today hurls his Volvo around Pembrey in Wales in the British Truck Racing Championships, should omit his early career from the series programme. Borgudd was formerly Abba's drummer. How did the song go? 'Towing me, Towing you, Ah Haaa . . .'