A spike in Guinness sales this weekend cannot mask the underlying volume decline of the “black stuff” that Diageo has been suffering, reports The Times. St Patrick’s Day, on Friday, saw 5m pints of the stuff quaffed, which is four times the usual amount on other days. Today’s England versus Ireland rugby match at Twickenham should be a big Guinness-drinking occasion as is this week’s Cheltenham Festival. Guinness is suffering from the gradual shift from pub drinking to in-home consumption, a market in which the brew has always struggled. The Times 18/03/06 page 60