'King Conker' did not cheat, tournament organisers say after investigation

FILE PHOTO: Annual World Conker Championships, in Southwick
FILE PHOTO: David Jakins, known as 'King Conker', takes part in the annual World Conker Championships in Southwick, Britain, October 13, 2024. REUTERS/Phil Noble/File Photo

The World Conker Championships has dismissed complaints of cheating against this year's men's champion David Jakins following an investigation, a statement issued on Monday by tournament organisers said.

The game of conkers involves trying to smash an opponent's conker - the hard brown fruit of the horse chestnut tree, which is threaded onto a shoelace - by hitting it as hard as possible with their own conker.

The Oct. 13 result of the men's competition had been called into question after losing competitors complained and Jakins was found to have a replica steel conker in his pocket.

"The conclusion of the investigation is that the World Championship Men’s title was won fairly, and that the steel conker was not used in play," the statement said.

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This article was produced by Reuters news agency. It has not been edited by Global South World.