A British manufacturer "has unveiled a new cricket helmet designed to prevent another tragic death like that of Phillip Hughes." The prototype, created by Hampshire-based company Masuri, features a clip-on "StemGuard" made of plastic and military-specification foam that protects the back of the neck. Masuri "began investigating a possible redesign after Hughes' death and design consultant Alan Meeks believes the new attachment is strong enough to prevent serious injury, but light enough so as to not distract or inhibit batsmen" (AAP, 2/12). ... Sports betting monitoring services firm Sportradar revealed that as many as 1% of sports events "could be the subject of betting-related match-fixing." The company said that this percentage "may just be the tip of the ice-berg globally" as many leagues, especially outside of Europe, "have very little or no monitoring or policing of probably the biggest problem" facing the integrity of football at the moment (INSIDE WORLD FOOTBALL, 2/12). ... A court has ruled that "there is insufficient evidence to prosecute" the British boss of a FIFA partner firm over alleged illegal World Cup ticket sales. The court in Rio de Janeiro cited the "ineptitude" of the case against Match Hospitality Dir Ray Whelan. It said police erred in collecting evidence and worked "in haste." The court said that "it was continuing with cases against 11 others facing similar charges" (BBC, 2/11).
