World Conker Championship's winner cleared of cheating

The men’s World Conker Championships winner has been cleared of cheating after a steel conker found in his pocket threw the competition into turmoil.

David Jakins, also known as King Conker, won the tournament last Sunday but his defeated opponent, Alastair Johnson-Ferguson, raised concerns about the conker Mr Jakins used during their face-off.

The controversy escalated when a steel conker was found inside Mr Jakins’ pocket, leading the World Conker Championships to launch an investigation into the cheating claims.

The object was painted brown, and “indistinguishable” from a real horse chestnut save for its weight, the chairman of the event’s organising committee said.

However, Mr Jakins said he only carried the steel conker in his pocket to show people “as a joke”, and he has been cleared of cheating after the investigation found no evidence that it was used in the competition.

Speaking to the Daily Star, Mr Jakins said: “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.

“I admit I had the steel conker in my pocket, but I didn’t play with it. I show it to people as a joke, but I won’t be bringing it again.”

A World Conker Championships spokesperson told The Guardian: “We have studied photos and videos of matches, interviewed judges and examined the chestnuts used by King Conker.

David Jakins at the 2010 World Conker Championships in Northamptonshire. / Credit: PA

“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.”

The annual World Conker Championships is based on a traditional children’s game that requires its participants to use randomly picked conkers threaded onto a string.

The aim of the game is for a player to swing their conker at their opponents until one of them breaks.

Mr Jakins was beaten to the title of overall World Conker Champion by his final opponent, 34-year-old women’s champion Kelci Banschbach, who only took up the game last year when she moved to Suffolk from the United States.