First-time contender crowned World Conker Champion

Laura DevlinNorthamptonshire

The King and Queen were crowned after six hours of competing

Aimee Dexter/BBC A woman and a man sitting on chairs that say Queen Conker and King Conker across the back. They are both holding silver trophies, wearing crowns and smiling. She has long grey hair and is wearing glasses, a brown coat and blue jeans. He has a dark beard and is wearing a green jumper and blue jeans. — The King and Queen were crowned after six hours of competing

The new King and Queen Conker have been crowned after a closely-fought contest at the World Conker Championships.

Hundreds of competitors went into battle in Northamptonshire for the event’s 60th year – which attracted increased attention after last year’s cheating scandal, prompting “airport-style” security checks.

Men’s winner Matt Cross, from Bourne, Lincolnshire, was crowned the overall World Conker Champion after beating women’s victor Mags Blake, of Corby, in the ultimate showdown.

“I am absolutely speechless,” said Mr Cross, 37, a newcomer to the competition, which sees players and champions return year after year.

Some 256 people from nine different countries, including Japan, entered this year’s competition, held in the village of Southwick, near Oundle.

“I’ve turned up expecting to go out in the first or second round, but every round I gave it another go, and it just snowballed,” Mr Cross added.

Asked about his tactics, he said it was “just force and accuracy”.

“A lot of it is a game of chance, and your opponent is in the same boat as you,” Mr Cross said.

Competitors take part in the first round of the annual World Conker Championships in Southwick

Reuters Two people playing conkers, wearing green bibs and watched on by smiling spectators — Competitors take part in the first round of the annual World Conker Championships in Southwick

The competition places rapidly filled for the 2025 competition – which organisers put down to the publicity surrounding last year’s King Conker, who was accused of cheating with a steel nut.

David Jakins, 84, was eventually cleared and returned to Southwick on Sunday to defend his crown – only to be knocked out a by a woman dressed as a bee in the first round.

Organiser St John Burkett said of this year’s arrangements: “We had an airport-style scanner which competitors had to pass through, including a tray for them to empty their pockets in.

“We also had a hand-held scanner, and sirens and flashing lights should anything untoward be detected by the scanner.

“And, in keeping with the event, the ringmaster had a big magnet on a stick.”

He added that a man was disqualified from Sunday’s event after he had set off an alarm while attempting to bring in his own conker, which is against competition rules.

The former King Conker David Jakins was bemused about the “steel conker” furore last year, for which he was exonerated

Reuters A man wearing yellow, a black bowler hat and with a string of conkers around his neck look at two conkers being wacked together as a hand and arm with a black sleeve holds up a conker. — The former King Conker David Jakins was bemused about the “steel conker” furore last year, for which he was exonerated

Conkers, many of them donated from the royal estate at Windsor this year, are individually stringed ahead of the competition

Aimee Dexter/BBC Conkers spill from a black bag. Each are strung with black laces — Conkers, many of them donated from the royal estate at Windsor this year, are individually stringed ahead of the competition

The event, which took place at the Shuckburgh Arms, sees participants go head-to-head using conkers threaded onto a string to try and smash their opponent’s nut.

Each player takes three alternate strikes at the opponent’s conker.

Among the entrants were sports broadcaster Mark Pougatch, who missed out on a place in the quarter finals “by a thread”, losing to Finn Vergalen.

Mark Pougatch moments before his defeat to Finn Vergalen, whose conker had reduced to a thread

Aimee Dexter/BBC Two men playing conkers, wearing black and orange bibs with a crowd of spectators in the background — Mark Pougatch moments before his defeat to Finn Vergalen, whose conker had reduced to a thread

There had been fears the event would be cancelled for only the third time in its history due to the hot, dry summer, which caused conkers to fall from trees early.

A nationwide hunt began, with suitably large nuts eventually being donated by the royal estate at Windsor Castle as well as from locations across the country, Italy and France.