This year’s World Conker Championships could be cancelled after back-to-back heatwaves left Britain’s chestnuts significantly smaller than usual.
Organisers of the annual international contest, due to take place in Southwick, Northamptonshire, on October 11, are considering whether the event can proceed amid fears that the scorching summer has damaged the nation’s conker crop.
Officials are concerned that chestnuts collected following the summer may be too small for competition. The tournament needs 3,000 substantial conkers, each measuring around two inches across, to go ahead.
A cancellation would disappoint the estimated 2,500 spectators and 256 players expected to attend the popular event.
Championship organisers are set to decide the event’s fate at a meeting on September 30, following a nationwide assessment of the condition and size of Britain’s conkers.
St John Burkett, a spokesman for the World Conker Championships, said: “We are deeply concerned that we will not have enough conkers of a decent size to play with. It appears there could be a shortage.
“We thought last year was bad, but this year is even worse. It looks as though it could be the worst year ever for conkers.”
He added: “It is clear the heatwaves will cause problems for conkers, particularly when you consider the poor harvests affecting other water-stressed trees, including apples, pears and hawthorns.”
A player swings his conker during the opening round of last year’s annual championships.
Organisers fear this summer’s intense heat has shrunk the conkers needed for play, with each nut required to measure two inches wide.
‘Some chestnut trees have no conkers at all, some have unripe conker husks, and some have many conkers but look small – and small conkers are no good to play with as they don’t break properly.
‘Ahead of our September 30 meeting, we have asked our committee members across the country to conduct a review of trees in their areas to establish the likelihood of having enough large conkers to play with.
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‘We need 3,000 large conkers for the competition. We would encourage members of the public to check conker trees in their area and report to us on their quality via our website.’
It is not the first time the World Conker Championships have faced a crisis. In 2024, they were hit by a ‘cheating’ scandal after the losing grand finalist was found with a steel dummy conker in his pocket – having won bouts in one hit.
David Jakins, 82, won his quarter and semi-final in one strike – almost unheard of in the game – clinching the men’s title in a surprise run to victory at the 46th attempt after competing annually since 1977.
He eventually lost in the grand final to first-time competitor Kelci Banschbach, 34, from Indianapolis in Indiana – who became the first American to clinch the title since it began in 1965.
But when retired engineer Jakins was searched after the event, he was found to have a steel conker, shaped and painted to look real, and threaded on an identical lace, concealed in a pocket.
Amid further allegations of a ‘fix’, Jakins – who was also the tournament’s top judge and had the nickname ‘King Conker’ – drilled and inserted strings in other competitors’ chestnuts.
Jakins denies cheating and claimed he carried around his steel conker for ‘humour value’, insisting he never used it during the contest.
The subsequent probe, which considered video and photographic evidence as well as testimony and examination of winning conkers, concluded that Mr Jakins’ men’s win – his first since he began competing in 1977 – was achieved fairly.
But it led to airport-style security at last year’s championships, designed to prevent another scandal.
Organiser St John Burkett said last year of the tightened security measures: ‘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.’