The weather in Salamanca this morning was absolutely foul – thunder and lightning and rain running in torrents down sloping pavements – and it continued in similar vain during our drive back to Albacete (Jock & Nancy Richardson have been accompanying me on this trip).

But the forecast for Albacete for the time of our final corrida was that there would be no rain, and it proved to be the case. Given the weather elsewhere in Spain, for the second day running we were lucky to have a corrida. Today was a mano a mano for two local toreros – Rubén Pinar and Sergio Serrano – facing victorinos.

I had felt the previous Albacete corridas at the start of this trip had lacked the city’s traditional passion for los toros, but today it came alive. A lot of mano a mano corridas are manufactured affairs with no real competition, but this afternoon involved Rubén Pinar putting his reputation on the line (he has been triunfador of several recent Albacete ferias) against the younger, up-and-coming Serrano, with many local spectators having their own particular favourite.

After both matadors had taken saludos, proceedings got underway with the entry of the first victorino, Pinar choosing to meet it a portagayola. This product of Victorino Martín, like several others today, was applauded on entry for its looks, while its behaviour, as occurred with all of today’s bulls, exuded danger. Rubén nevertheless got to work, initially with verónicas, given with the feet together, and a larga, and later with a fine faena, particularly his naturales. Suddenly, though, he was caught on the bull’s horns. Getting back to his feet and, with the help of a peón, tearing off part of his damaged traje, the matador returned to face the bull, continuing where he had left off with more close passes. He killed with an excellent estocada, fully committed, the bull’s horn destroying his sash and tearing into the right leg of his trousers, scratching the skin. Rubén had claimed his opening ear.

Sergio Serrano commences with a larga cambiada de rodillas a portagayola on a fairly regular basis and this, too, was how he began the lidia of the second bull, following that with half-kneeling and then standing verónicas. Before las varas, he slipped and fell and was very fortunate that the victorino stopped beside him rather than attacked the prone figure. Undeterred, Serrano took the animal to the horse with finely-judged walking chicuelinas and followed its vara with further, close, chicuelinas. The faena that followed was the best I have seen from him, with superb derechazos and naturales, Sergio running the hand well. Again, there was an honest entry for the estocada, although the sword ended up slightly low. For a while it looked as if a descabello would be needed, Serrano stroking the bull’s head and horns as it faced death, but the animal eventually fell and its matador was awarded two ears. A puerta grande exit for Serrano was already assured and the gauntlet thrown down to Pinar.

Rubén, now wearing cut-off jeans over his torn taleguilla, took the next victorino from the edge to the centre of the arena with his capote, but you felt that the bull was still the one that was in charge. With the muleta, Pinar produced an excellent faena with series on each hand, but then, the bull still charging well, the matador unnecessarily resorted to arrimón. Another strong estocada, though, led to his second ear of the afternoon, the two matadors now equal on apendices.

The next, large, animal charged over Serrano’s body as the torero threw himself to the ground in a failed attempt at a larga cambiada a portagayola. The spectators were treated to another fine faena, however, the naturales being particularly good, Sergio stretching in the passes and curving the bull around him. He closed with some passes mirando al tendido and forced the bending estoque home for a further ear. Still ahead.

There was little chance of success with Rubén Pinar’s third veleto-horned victorino. Rubén already displayed some nervousness with it in the opening capework, then it overturned picador and horse and finally, in the faena, proved to be a very dangerous opponent, continually looking for the man. Rubén tried to secure series despite the great risk to himself until the crowd told him to stop for the sake of his safety and the bull was despatched.

The final victorino also had veleto horns, but wider spread and larger, and this turned out to be another difficult bull, Serrano trying to pass it cleanly but not succeeding very much. As he came away from his second attempt with the estoque (a metisaca), Sergio slipped and was trampled. He then finished things off with a three-quarters sword, limping out from the callejón after the bull had been taken out to whistles to acknowledge the crowd’s applause for the feria’s likely new triunfador.

The two local heroes were hoisted on shoulders for a final tour of the ring and departure through the main gate. This had been a fine closing corrida to my 2021 trip to Spain, with two toreros showing bravery in their determination to do their very best with the material at hand and the victorinos contributing to an always fascinating festejo.