Precious Cop

Press, 30 September 1983, Page 23

Precious Cop

Captain Ray Brinkworth, master of the giant O.C.L. container ship, the Mairangi Bay, holds the valuable silver world squash chamionship trophy which he kept safely in his cabin in a box under his bunk on his most recent voyage to New Zealand.

The trophy will be competed for at the world championships which begin in Auckland next Thursday. World squash officials did not want to risk damaging the trophy sending it by mail or by freight and instead asked Captain Brinkworth to bring it to New Zealand as his special responsibility. The trophy was handed to the chairman of the world championship organising committee, Mr Rod Sturm, on the bridge of the 248.5m10ng container ship when it docked in Auckland. The ship carries 1800 containers, and the squash trophy was the smallest on board.

Captain Brinkworth, a

member of the Cardiff Arms Park male voice choir, is more of a rugby fanatic than a squash fan and he also keeps a Welsh international rugby jersey in his cabin.

The world squash championships start with the individual events, which last until October 12. Included in the draw of 128 players is the present world champion, Jahangir Khan, of Pakistan, aged 19. The players will be competing for $75,000 in prize money.

The teams’ event, which has attracted an entry of 20, will run from October 13 to 20. New Zealand will be represented by a senior squad of Stuart Davenport (Wellington), Craig Blackwood (Auckland), Paul Viggers (Canterbury) and Rod Hayes (Auckland), and a youth team of Anthony McMurtrie (Waikato), John Mills (Wellington), Tony Griffin (Waikato) and Danny McQueen (Bay of Plenty).