Skip to main content
Cloudy icon
76Āŗ

Champion cleared of cheating with a metal chestnut at the World Conker Championships

1 / 5

PA

King Conker David Jakins takes part in the annual World Conker Championships at the Shuckburgh Arms in Southwick, Peterborough, England, Sunday Oct. 13, 2024. (Jacob King/PA via AP)

LONDON ā€“ A British chestnut-whacking champion was cleared Monday of cheating after an investigation into alleged malfeasance at the World Conker Championships.

Organizers of the nutty annual event said that Dave Jakins, a veteran competitor nicknamed ā€œKing Conker,ā€ did not use a steel chestnut to conquer his rival.

Recommended Videos



The traditional game, played by generations of British schoolchildren, involves players using conkers ā€” the glossy brown seeds of the horse chestnut tree ā€” threaded onto a string to try and smash their opponentā€™s chestnut.

More than 200 conkers enthusiasts entered the annual competition in the village of Southwick in central England earlier this month. Jakins, 82, won the menā€™s tournament. But organizers launched an investigation after claims that he might have used a steel chestnut that was in his pocket.

Investigators said they studied film and photo evidence and took testimony from judges and umpires, and concluded that ā€œit would be near impossible for Mr. Jakins to have swapped the conkers unnoticed.ā€

Organizers said they accepted Jakinsā€™ claim ā€œthat he had had the (steel) conker to amuse people and as part of his role as ā€˜King Conker,ā€™ā€ and had used a real chestnut in the contest.

Organizers also said the losing finalist, Alastair Johnson-Ferguson, had ā€œaccepted defeat with good grace and sportsmanship,ā€ after media reports that he had made the cheating allegation.

The overall title of World Conker Champion was won by Kelci Banschbach, originally from Indianapolis. The 34-year-old was crowned ā€œqueen conkerā€ after beating Jakins in the final. She was the first American to win the title since the World Conker Championships began in 1965.


Loading...

Recommended Videos