Bilbao, July 21: A cut above the rest

Rejoneo was on offer at Santander today, so I decided to go to Bilbao where the final heat in the Memorial Iván Fandiño competition for novilleros sin picadores was taking place. The earlier heats, on Friday and Saturday, had seen three novilleros cut a single ear apiece. Unlike my last visit to the certamen, the whole of the Vista Alegre plaza was open to spectators, while each heat now comprised just three participants compared to four a couple of years ago.

First on was Jesús Iglesias, from Salamanca’s escuela taurina. His eral (all today’s animals were supplied by the Madrid ranch of Zacarías Moreno) was whistled on entry for its youthful appearance but proved noble in the lidia. Iglesias began with two lances on his knees, then stood for verónicas. Julio Méndez (from the Badajoz escuela) produced a promising quite of chicuelinas and tafalleras only to get into difficulties as it ended. Come the faena, it became clear that Iglesias was a believer in quantity rather than quality, as series of derechazos and naturales went on and on. When he was caught while performing manoletinas de rodillas, a voice from the tendidos shouted, “This is a circus!” – which promptly spurred the youngster to repeat the suerte. He killed with an estocada caída, but heard an aviso after the eral rose to its feet several times before being apuntillado. Much to my surprise, Iglesias was awarded an ear.

It was consequently somewhat of a relief when Julio Méndez, sin probaturas, gave some impressive verónicas to his sturdier eral and followed this up with well-constructed chicuelinas, tafalleras and cordobinas. His faena was excellent – full of linked passes and Méndez seemingly able to turn his animal around him at whim. He began on his knees with linked derechazos, then stood for some fine series of derechazos and naturales, closed with pases de pecho. There were circulares, an arrucina and capeina before Méndez returned to his knees for derechazos and a closing desplante. The estocada was somewhat forward but delivered over the horns with determination, and Méndez was justly awarded the eral’s two ears.

This was to be the last award of the day, for the Mexican Jairo López (from Spain’s Guadalajara escuela and with ex-matador Luis Miguel Encabo along for advice and support) botched his killing with a pinchazo and then a terrible estocada in the side of his eral. López met his animal a portagayola, then produced afaroladas de rodillas and verónicas before a quite of the finest and closest zapotinas I have ever seen. Alas, López also placed his own banderillas, poorly, before going on to provide us with a decent faena (begun with an arrucina de rodillas!) of linked muletazos with the cloth kept pleasingly low throughout. The youngster was in tears after his awful swordwork, but rallied somewhat when given a compensatory vuelta.

The final of the competition, in which Julio Méndez will undoubtedly feature, will take place during Bilbao’s August feria.