Drama in the World of Conkers Is Over

UPDATE Oct 21, 2024 9:54 AM CDT

The drama in the cutthroat world of conkers is at an end, with Dave Jakins, aka "King Conker," now cleared of cheating, reports the Guardian. Jakins had been accused of using a steel conker instead of a regular chestnut in his win at the World Conker Championships, but officials now say that "the investigation has found no evidence that the steel conker was used. King Conker has been cleared of suspicion, and his name is being engraved on the trophy." Jakins, for his part, is glad for the outcome, which cements his first victory though he's been competing since 1977. "I'm so relieved to be cleared," he says. "It's been a stressful week. We are gentlemen at the World Conker Championships and we don't cheat. I've been playing and practicing for decades. That's how I won."

Oct 15, 2024 12:06 PM CDT

Dave Jakins has been competing in the World Conker Championships since 1977. At 82, the Brit just celebrated his first title, though it's been quickly overshadowed by cheating allegations. In conkers, players take turns throwing chestnuts, attached to a piece of string, trying to smash their opponent's piece. But after 23-year-old Alastair Johnson-Ferguson lost to Jakins in the men's final of the tournament, held Sunday in Northamptonshire, England, he told the Telegraph that the winner may have used a metal conker, which blew up his own "in one hit." The outlet notes Jakins was the top judge, responsible for drilling and inserting strings into the chestnuts, which participants drew from a bag.

Event organizers have since come out in support of Jakins, a long-standing member of the event committee. "Somebody's a sore loser, I think," says chairman Jim Packer, per the BBC. "We've had numerous players more than capable of smashing on the first hit," and Jakins is "a heavy hitter." Packer says organizers were aware Jakins had a steel conker on him, but "it's very obvious it's not a real one." Jakins says he didn't use the metal conker in competition, only in fun games with children. "You get them to hit it with their conker and then their conker breaks and they can't believe it," he says.

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Johnson-Ferguson maintains Jakins "could have swapped his real conker for [the steel] one" or "could have marked the conker strings to pick out a harder nut," though Jakins denies this, per the Telegraph. "I did help prepare the conkers before the tournament. But this isn't cheating or a fix, and I didn't mark the strings," he says. "It's impossible to cheat at conkers. It's a load of nonsense," he adds, per the BBC. Though he defeated Johnson-Ferguson to be named "King Conker," Jakins ultimately lost the final match to the women's title holder, "Queen Conker" Kelci Banschbach, a native of Indianapolis. At 34, she's the first American to win the overall competition, per the Telegraph. (More United Kingdom stories.)