(Source: AAP)  Australia’s one-day crowd crisis worsened on Sunday when a record low turn-out trickled into the Gabba to see the hosts deliver a dead-rubber thumping of Sri Lanka.

It was the worst Gabba crowd for a one-day international featuring Australia, almost 3000 less than the 11,734 who were packed into a ground under construction during the 1992 World Cup.

Traditionally Australia’s Gabba 50-over fixtures have drawn 35,000-plus since the redevelopment of the 40,000-capacity stadium in the 1990s.

Sunday’s attendance, again featuring a healthy Sri Lankan contingent, was a mere half of the previous post-development lowest, which was 19,758 when Ponting’s men defeated Pakistan earlier this year.

And that total came with 20,088 attending another Australian Gabba win over the West Indies just weeks later.

Following crowds of 19,309 at the MCG and 11,495 at the SCG in Sri Lanka’s series-clinching wins, the Brisbane turnout underlined the fans general apathy for what has been an almost meaningless three-match series.

Interest in Australia’s quest to regain the Ashes, which begins at the Gabba on November 25, has completely swamped that for Sri Lanka’s whistle-stop tour.

In fact, the combined total of 39,841 for the three day-nighters will probably only just shade that of the day one attendance for the first Ashes Test, to be played in front of a packed house.

As well as the absences of Ponting and Murali, who was denied an Australian farewell, Sri Lanka gave potential spectators little encouragement to make a late arrival by slumping to 3-14 in the fifth over before being routed for 115.

Peter Wraith, the ex-Sportsbrand Media Group chief executive has joined forces with the organisation’s former marketing director Matt Whytcross to start a new company called Inverleigh Media Holdings.

Inverleigh is a market company that will be involved in the development, production and international distribution of programming for a range of media platforms. Wraith and Whytcross will act as partners in the new venture.

Wraith said: “This is in many ways a natural extension of the effective management partnership that has existed between Matt and I for over 11 years. We are aware of the likely comparisons to our former company, but I think it will be clear in a short time frame that Inverleigh is a very different animal in terms of its ambition, product offering and operational direction.”

Inverleigh will initially have offices in London and Melbourne, with each of the partners working in one of the locations.

Wraith added: “We’ve successfully worked together this way for a number of years and as our business is essentially international, there are definite advantages in us operating from different locations, particularly in terms of servicing an international client base.”

The prime ministers of Poland and Ukraine have dismissed criticism of the countries’ preparations for the 2012 Uefa European Football Championships.

Donald Tusk and Mykola Azarov have said that the stadiums for the tournament will be ready on time, despite Uefa president Michel Platini’s concerns over the construction work of the Kiev and Liviv stadium projects.

Platini has since withdrawn his threat to strip Ukraine of its co-hosting role after an acceleration in construction of the two projects.

Tusk, prime minister of Poland, said: “We are confident that the championship, which is important for Europe, will take place in four Ukrainian and four Polish cities.”

Martin Kallen, operations director for the 2012 event, has said the 69,000 seat stadium in Kiev could be complete by next June, while the 35,000-capacity Liviv venue is on target for completion in August.

Betfair managing director, Mark Davies, has resigned from his post after more than ten years to start up his own PR consultancy.

Davies was part of Betfair’s founder-management team, having joined the betting exchange before its launch in March 2000.

Betfair has already signed up to be one of the first clients of Camberton, Davies’ new company. Davies said: “It’s been fun, but in recent months I haven’t been able to offer Betfair as much as I’d like to of what I think I am best at; so I think it’s time to move on to new things.

“I have set up a company of my own, Camberton, which will offer to a broader church the sort of thing that I have been responsible for at Betfair over the last decade.”

Betfair chief executive David Yu added: “Mark has been with the company since it was little more than an idea and has helped it grow to the largest online sports betting business. As our ‘voice’ in the market he has contributed so much to our distinctive positioning.”

Chime Communications PLC today announced its acquisition of SJX Partners, ed a boutique sponsorship sales agency based in New Canaan, doctor Connecticut, through its sports marketing division CSM Sport & Entertainment.

In a deal announced by Jim Glover, Chief Executive, CSM Sport & Entertainment and Harlan Stone, SJX Managing Partner, SJX has been acquired as a wholly-owned subsidiary and is the most recent step in CSM’s growth plan in the US market.

The addition of SJX to CSM’s portfolio comes one year after its first expansion into the US market with JMI and reflects the group’s strategic plan to increase its presence in the US.

“We are proud to announce our acquisition of SJX and to bring such a dedicated and successful group of people into the CSM family,” said Jim Glover. “Their staff and leadership fit seamlessly into our plans for continued growth in the US marketplace, which started with our largest ever sports-related acquisition of JMI last year. The relationship and trust SJX has with its clients is superior, and this move will only enhance what has already been a successful start to CSM’s growth in the US.”

“SJX is pleased to become part of CSM Sport & Entertainment as we share a dedicated passion to deliver best-in-class service for our clients,” said Stone. “Our team’s expertise in sponsorship strategy and sales with global brands in sport and entertainment will complement CSM’s mission to be at heart of the world’s greatest experiences.”

SJX was founded by Harlan Stone and Jeff Jonas in 2011 and employs 13 people in the US. The agency specializes in property development and sponsorship sales as well as consulting and media rights. Clients include US Open Tennis, Cirque du Soleil, Little League Baseball, Feld Entertainment’s Disney on Ice, Lincoln Center and Powdr.

Stone and Jonas will remain Managing Partners of SJX within the CSM Sports & Entertainment division.

Six people have been arrested by police investigating alleged fixing in English football matches, amid claims of attempts to defraud Asian betting websites.

At least three footballers and an agent are among the six arrested, according to London’s Daily Telegraph newspaper, which said an undercover investigation by its reporters had triggered the police swoop.

The report said match-fixers from Asia were targeting lower-league English games.

The new National Crime Agency (NCA) said they were probing a suspected international gambling ring.

“Six men have been arrested across the country as part of an NCA investigation into alleged football match fixing,” said a spokesman.

“The focus of the operation is a suspected international illegal betting syndicate.

“This is an active investigation and we are unable to provide further detail at this time.”

The men were being held at a police station in central England on suspicion of bribery and fraud offences, The Telegraph said.

A Singaporean “fixer” was recorded telling undercover reporters that the results of English games could be decided for STG50,000 ($90,000) and correctly predicted the outcome of three games played by one team.

The team and arrested players cannot be named for legal reasons, but the agent was named by The Telegraph as former Bolton Wanderers striker Delroy Facey.

No teams in England’s lucrative Premier League are believed to be involved in the probe.

The fixer explained that gamblers could use the insider information to place bets with Asian companies.

A spokesman for the Football Association, the sport’s governing body in England, said: “The FA has been made aware of a number of arrests in relation to an NCA investigation.

“We have worked closely with the authorities in relation to these allegations. The FA will make no further comment at this time due to ongoing investigations.”

The Football League, which runs the three professional divisions below the Premier League, said they had not been contacted by the police.

“We understand from media reports that there is an ongoing police investigation into alleged match-fixing in domestic football,” chief executive Shaun Harvey said in a statement.

“To date, we have had no contact from the police regarding this matter.

“The threat of corruption is something that the Football League and the other football authorities treat with the utmost seriousness.

“The integrity of our matches and our competitions is the bedrock of the domestic game.”

In February, Europe-wide police agency Europol said it had found evidence of match-fixing in top international football matches and it had uncovered an organised crime syndicate based in Asia that was behind the operation.

StacheTATS, vcialis 40mg a company that designs temporary mustache and cheek tattoos, remedy has agreed a licensing deal with the National Hockey League (NHL) to launch a new official NHL-branded line of temporary mustache tattoos.

The temporary mustache tattoos feature 30 different NHL teams and their logos, including the Blackhawks, Rangers and the Oilers.