Highest governing body | Ashton Conker Club |
---|---|
First played | 1965 |
Characteristics | |
Contact | No |
Type | Pub games, Precision sports |
Equipment | Strung conker |
The World Conker Championships (WCC) is a conkers tournament held annually on the second Sunday in October [1] in the county of Northamptonshire, England. Two players use conkers threaded onto a string and take turns to strike the other's nut until it shatters. [2] Players from around the world enter the tournament, competing in a knock-out format in both team and individual formats, with titles for men's, women's and youth categories. Up to 5,000 spectators watch around 400 players participating. [3] from many countries, including Australia, Austria, Canada, France, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Poland, Russia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Ukraine, the United States and the United Kingdom. [4] [5] [6] [7] [8]
The World Conker Championships began in 1965 when a group of anglers in Ashton held a conker contest at the Chequered Skipper public house [3] because the weather was too bad to go fishing. [2] At the event, a small collection was made for charity, by a person with a blind relative. Since then the event has raised over £420,000 for charities supporting the visually impaired and at least £2,500 is donated yearly. [9] The event was held in Ashton for 45 years before moving to a larger venue at the Shuckburgh Arms [10] in Southwick, Northamptonshire in 2009. [5] [11]
The tournament has been threatened with conker shortages over the years, in 1976 conkers used in the tournament had to be flown in from Jersey, [12] in 1980 freak spring weather was one of the factors that threatened the World Conker Championships causing a conker shortage, and in 1982 a late frost killed off the horse chestnut blossom resulting in a failed conker harvest. [12]
On 6 October 2011, organisers were forced to cancel the event over safety fears with high winds being forecasted. [13] In 2012, the championships were cancelled again when a suitable venue couldn't be found in time. [14]
Concerns for the future of the event were voiced over the horse-chestnut leaf miner moth, Cameraria ohridella , which has appeared in the region and could have a detrimental effect on the UK's horse chestnut population affecting conker yields. [10]
On 9 October 2017, Chelsea pensioner John Riley won the men's tournament at the age of 85, quite possibly making him the oldest world champion on the planet. [15]
In 2022, Fee Aylmore won the women's event after 30 years of trying. [16]
Players' Rules of Engagement for the Noble Game of Conkers as follows: [17]
All players are British except where indicated with a national flag icon.
Year | Mens Individual | Ladies Individual | Team Winner | Ladies Team | Junior (7–11) | Youth (11–15) | Young adult (16–18) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1965 | Ron Marsh (1) | - | - | - | - | - | - |
1966 | Sid Walden [18] | - | - | - | - | - | - |
1967 | L. Collins | - | - | - | - | - | - |
1968 | Tim Winham | - | - | - | - | - | - |
1969 | Peter Midlane (1) | - | - | - | - | - | - |
1970 | John M. Hillyard | - | - | - | - | - | - |
1971 | T. Dicks | - | - | - | - | - | - |
1972 | Ron Marsh (2) | - | - | - | - | - | - |
1973 | Peter Midlane (2) [8] | - | - | - | Simon Bayliss [8] | - | - |
1974 | J Marsh (1) | - | - | - | - | - | - |
1975 | J Marsh (2) | - | - | - | - | - | - |
1976 | Jorge Ramirez Carrillo [19] [6] | - | - | - | - | - | - |
1977 | C. Childs | - | - | - | - | - | - |
1978 | L. Treliving | - | - | - | - | - | - |
1979 | Charlie Bray (1) [12] | - | - | - | - | - | - |
1980 | Keith Height [12] | - | - | - | - | - | - |
1981 | Bill Cox (1) [12] | - | - | - | - | - | - |
1982 | Jim Blackman | - | - | - | - | - | - |
1983 | S. Rowan | - | - | - | - | - | - |
1984 | R. Langer | - | - | - | - | - | - |
1985 | Peter Midlane (3) | - | - | - | - | - | - |
1986 | Charlie Bray (2) | - | - | - | Luke Bilson | Craig Belson | - |
1987 | John Hawes | - | - | - | - | Martin Nikel (1) | - |
1988 | W. Cox (2) | Sheila Doubleday (1) | - | - | - | Martin Nikel (2) | - |
1989 | P. Short | Christina Bateman | - | - | Fiona Kingdom | Lempriere | - |
1990 | Harold Watson | Mary Bedford | - | - | - | Faye Elliott | - |
1991 | John Bull (1) | Pauline Baker | - | - | - | Lisa Crews | - |
1992 | P. Canning | J. Courtney | Chequered Skipper 'B' Team (1) | - | - | M. Hutcheson | - |
1993 | M. Tindall | Sheila Doubleday (2) | Chequered Skipper 'B' Team (2) | - | M. Heatherington | R. Rawcliffe | - |
1994 | James Marsh | Tina Stone (1) | The Crocodile | - | Daniel Jack | James Nikel (1) | - |
1995 | Brian Jackson | Judi Rabbit | The Brigstock International Quartet | The Wilpave Swingers | Tim Maguire | James Gould | - |
1996 | John Bull (2) | Karen Morgan | Sebright Arms (1) | Nutcracker Suite | Richard Fuller | James Nikel (2) | Ian Smith |
1997 | Paul Vjestica | Louise Bunker | Nelson Nutcrackers | The Minge Petals (1) | Graham Clark | Diane Allen | - |
1998 | Helmut Kern [6] | Lesley Bullock | Nauort 2 | Sebright Arms (2) | Matthew Storrow | Jonathon Lyan | Ashley Thomas |
1999 | Jody Tracey | Margaret Twiddy | Absolutely Hammered | Wilpave Sweeties | Charlotte Laskey | Jack Jarvis | Chris Eccles |
2000 | Mark Tracey | Selma Becker | Barton Seagrave Bashers | The Minge Petals (2) | Rachel Mintern | Sally Rate | Tim Linnell |
2001 | Neil Fraser | Celine Parachou | Royal Oak Resistance | France Fillies (1) | Duncan Winfrey | Max Aitken | Lewis Chilvers |
2002 | Richard Swailes | Liz Gibson | Elton Wasps | Castle Green Conkerers | Ruth Pritchard | Joseph Emery | - |
2003 | Brian Stewart | Debbie Oates | No Strings Attached | Magnificent 7 Minus 3 (1) | Kieran Campbell | William Pritchard (1) | Lucy Walshaw |
2004 | Darren Foster | Alison Everett | Daniel Lambert Dining Club | Les Filles Francais (2) | Kieran O'Connor | Jordan Witherall | James Robinson |
2005 | Alex Callan | Jayne Coddington | Peterborough Nutters (1) | Magnificent 7 Minus 3 (2) | Callum Owen | William Pritchard (2) | Kallom Nash |
2006 | Chris Jones | Sandy Gardner | Celtic Conkerors | France (3) | Philip Broomhead (1) | Jack Boon | Emma Ratcliffe |
2007 | Ady Hurrell (1) | Tina Stone (2) | Royal Haskoning Rest of the World | Magnificent 7 Minus 3 (3) | Philip Broomhead (2) | Nicolas Rothera | Steven Wray |
2008 | Ray Kellock (1) [4] | Amy Farrow (1) [4] | Rushden Reprobates | France (4) | Thomas Whincup | Robert Winfield | Rebecca Moss |
2009 | Thomas Gormley | Sue Howes | Peterborough Nutters (2) | - | Evie Driscoll-King | Oliver Mas | Brent Walker |
2010 | Ray Kellock (2) [20] | Wendy Bradford [4] | The Fairways | Sri Lankan Ladies [4] | Louis Carpenter | Samuel Lewin | Robyn Geldard |
2011 | Event Cancelled [13] (Bad weather) | ||||||
2012 | Event Cancelled [14] (No venue) | ||||||
2013 | Simon Cullum [21] | Sophie Knox [21] | Woodbeeez (1) | - | Harrison Scott | Oliver Simons (1) | Georgie Spence-Jones |
2014 | John Doyle [22] | Stephanie Withall [22] | Woodbeeez (2) | - | Elliott Hurrell | Daniel Devaney | Alex Wallman |
2015 | Steven Prescott [23] | Amy Farrow (2) [23] | Woodbeeez (3) | - | Peter Rogers | Isla Watson | Charlie Dathorne |
2016 | Tom Dryden [7] | Lorna Clarke [7] | Lord Robartes Nutters | - | William Chapman | Josh Broomhead | Oliver Simons (2) [24] |
2017 | John Riley [15] | Julie Freeman [15] | Mutts Nutts | - | Benjamin Wallace | Faith Weatherington | Oliver Simons (3) [24] |
2018 | Edward Gaze [25] | Karen Holloway [25] | |||||
2019 | Andy Moore [26] | Jasmine Tetley (1) [26] | |||||
2020 | Event Cancelled (COVID-19 pandemic) [27] | ||||||
2021 | Ady Hurrell (2) [28] | Jasmine Tetley (2) [28] | We Came, We Saw, Jasmine Conkered (1) | ||||
2022 | Randy Topolnitsky [16] | Fee Aylmore [16] | The Britcans | Team GB | |||
2023 | Mark Hunter [29] | Jasmine Tetley (3) [29] | We Came, We Saw, Jasmine Conkered (2) | ||||
Shown in alphabetical order by surname in the event of a tie.
Individual Champion | Wins |
---|---|
Peter Midlane | 3 |
Oliver Simons | 3 |
Jasmine Tetley | 3 |
Charlie Bray | 2 |
Philip Broomhead | 2 |
John Bull | 2 |
Bill Cox | 2 |
Sheila Doubleday | 2 |
Amy Farrow | 2 |
Ady Hurrell | 2 |
Ray Kellock | 2 |
J Marsh | 2 |
Ron Marsh | 2 |
James Nikel | 2 |
Martin Nikel | 2 |
William Pritchard | 2 |
Tina Stone | 2 |
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