The World Conker Championships drew thousands of spectators to Southwick, near Oundle, where horse chestnut experts competed to win the coveted conker king and queen titles. The annual competition, which has been running since 1965, raises money for charities and attracts fans from across the globe. This year, 256 competitors registered for the event.
As the highly-regulated competition dictates, the nuts used in the game must be gathered and strung by volunteers from the Ashton Conker Club, the organizer of the competition. The rules state that conkers cannot be tampered with or reused, and there must be at least 20cm (8in) of lace between knuckle and nut. Each player takes three alternate strikes at their opponent’s conker, with a game decided once one of the conkers is smashed.
Richard Howard, the ringmaster and chief umpire, noted that adults love to play the game, but they feel foolish without a good reason: the World Conker Championships. While there were fewer overseas competitors this year, people from Scotland, Wales, the West Country, and London participated. Howard opined that some overseas visitors had forsaken the event because they had accepted that the Brits are better at conkers than they are.
Women’s champion Fee Aylmore and men’s champion Randy Topolnitsky, who hails from Canada, have previously won the titles. The event has raised nearly £500,000 for sight impairment charities since its inception.
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