New Statesman Scotland

The whole point of boxing is damage; the idea is as straightforward as it is possible to be. Damage the other person more than he or she damages you, and you win. Simple. Er, no. At least not if you are a Scottish boxer. A very different slant was put on this simple and straightforward sport at the recent World Championships in Texas. The Scottish party, consisting of one official, two boxers and the national coach, was small, but not beautiful, as things turned out. According to several reports, a row broke out as to the responsibility for payment of the coach's expenses. Despite some compromise and increasingly strenuous attempts to resolve the situation, deadlock ensued, leading to an increasingly desperate and distraught coach apparently threatening to commit suicide if one of the two boxers did not pay him. This drama unfolded the night before the Scottish boxers' opening bouts. Not surprisingly neither went on to become world champion and, even less surprising, all this has led to a motion of no confidence in the leadership being put forward at the AGM of the Scottish boxing association. It could even lead to a knockout. Watch this space.

Anti-fox-hunting activists have been delighted by the goings-on in other bloodsports. After a case was heard at Selkirk Sheriff Court recently, a local farmer pleaded guilty to shooting a wild heron while on a duck shoot, although to avoid allegations of a lame-duck defence, he claimed that, having taken aim, it was too late for him to pull out. Another bloodsport, campaigners hope, will save them a lot of trouble and abolish itself. Because most ponds, reservoirs and even rivers are artificially stocked and many catches are often thrown back, some fishermen are beginning to recognise individual fish. This trend was dramatically illustrated by an incident on the banks of a reservoir near Glasgow. Having won a goldfish at a local fair and seen it outgrow its bowl, one fisherman's daughter asked her dad to release it into the local reservoir. A week later, one of his neighbours on the bank hooked and landed - a goldfish. An argument ensued. While the rest of the local anglers looked on, a fight broke out, with one man claiming, "We loved that fish. It was one of the family."

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