Competitors swing into action at the World Conker Championships
The annual competition was held on Sunday 13th October in Southwick near Oundle.
Conkers were back in swinging action as competitors flocked to Northamptonshire for the World Conker Championships.
Over 200 people entered the competition which took place at the Shuckburgh Arms in Southwick near Oundle - many of whom donned unique headgear and outfits.
The event 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.
One man wore a green inflatable Yoda headpiece, while another wore a conker-themed hat.
One competitor seemed to want to move through the competition in style by wearing ruffled shiny blue and silver trousers as she got ready to swing her conker.
The new World Conker Champion is Kelci Banschbach from the USA who defeated the Men’s/Open World Champion David Jakins in the Grand Final.
Kelci said: "I’ve never won anything like this before, and am amazed I have done this. I’ve not really played conkers before, and this is just a surprise!"
David Jakins, is perhaps better known as King Conker. He has competed for over forty years, but never won before. He said "This means so much to me. I’m 82, and my legs aren’t what they were, so to stand up there and become Men’s World Champion is wonderful."
In other competitions, the intermediate (11-16) World Championship was shared between Enija Butane from Leicestershire and Clara Axmacher from Huntingdon, after they couldn’t be separated in an excellent final.
The Junior World Champion (7-11) is Sebastian Sheffield from Northamptonshire, who defeated Nicoda Hutchinson from Cambridgeshire in the final. The Team World Champions were The Skuumkoppers from The Netherlands.
Chairman Jim Packer said: "This has been another wonderful day in which the sun shone and the crowds came out. Everyone seemed to have a lovely day and really enjoy themselves. To have a winner from the USA and team champions from the Netherlands shows how truly international we are. King Conker becoming Men’s World Champion at the age of 82 is a great story."
There were representatives of 10 countries taking part, and the 256 places in the adult competition were sold out well in advance. Around 100 juniors also played, and the attendance of 2,000 was also at its maximum.
All competitors need to follow a stringent set of rules to ensure the event is as fair as possible, which includes the conkers and laces used being provided by organisers and laces cannot be knotted further or distorted.
Additionally, a minimum distance of no less than 20cm of lace must be between knuckle and nut for both the "striking" and "receiving" players.
Further rules apply if a game lasts more than five minutes and penalties can also be given for foul play.
The main aim of the event since its inception in 1965 has been to raise money for charities that support the visually impaired, with over £420,000 being raised over the years.