The National Rugby League "eased the bill" on the three clubs charged with concussion protocol breaches last month, suspending more than half of the A$350,000 ($263,963) worth of fines. But Newcastle, St. George Illawarra and the Gold Coast will still each be fined A$50,000 ($37,709) for the round-three incidents, "with the remainder still hanging over the head of each club for the next year." It means Newcastle and St. George Illawarra had half of their A$100,000 ($75,418) fines suspended, while Gold Coast will only "immediately owe" one-third of their A$150,000 ($113,127) sanction (AAP, 4/6).
Former cricketer Viv Richards slammed "arrogant" Caribbean administrators for "thinking they are as important as players" and "laid the blame for the decline of West Indies cricket firmly at their door." West Indies "were world beaters" in the '70s and '80s when Richards was "in his pomp" but are "no longer among the top sides in the test and 50-over formats." Starting Friday, West Indies hosts Pakistan in a three-ODI series that could "prove crucial" to the nation's hope of an automatic World Cup berth but most of its best players "will be taking part in the Indian Premier League" (REUTERS, 4/6).
