Business Diary: A rival for the old firm rivalry

We have a suggestion for the BBC and Sky News: now might be a wise time to invest in some key man insurance. Drinks company Diageo is sponsoring a five-a-side football tournament next Wednesday featuring 18 teams of journalists. In the first round, the BBC's team, including business editor Robert Peston, are down to play Sky News, whose team features Pesto's arch rival, business editor Mark Kleinman. Can the pair get through the game without kicking lumps out of each other? And who'll win the race, once the final whistle is blown, to reveal exclusively the final score?

Halfords' plan to turn ash into cash

Ryanair, which has just spent several days whingeing about what the latest volcanic eruption in Iceland will do to its business, ought to take a leaf out of Halfords' book and look for the opportunities when this sort of thing happens. Halfords put out guidance yesterday warning customers to "be careful when washing the car as volcanic ash from Iceland could leave scratch marks on paintwork". You'll want to pressure-wash your vehicle first, Halfords says – and it's happy to offer 40 per cent off purchases of pressure washers in these difficult times.

City's finest to put on their spikes

The City is as competitive as ever, it would seem. Every year, Standard Chartered organises the Great City Race, a 5k run through the streets of the Square Mile that is open to competitors from financial services businesses and related professions. The 6,500 places available in this year's event, to be held on 14 July, have just been snapped up in record time. Still, Seeing Is Believing, the blindness research charity, is the ultimate winner, with funds raised from the race going into its coffers.

Let's drink to William Chase

Congratulations to William Chase, the founder of posh crisps company Tyrrells, who these days is focused on his Chase Distillery. The potato tycoon has just won a gold medal at the San Francisco World Spirits awards for his Chase Marmalade Vodka, which sounds delicious to us too. Just don't look for bottles in Tesco, which Chase once banned from selling his crisps for fear of the ubiquitous grocer damaging his premium-brand status.

businessdiary@independent.co.uk