The Campaign for Real Conkers
Media Release. Contact Keith Flett 07803 167266
10th September
As World Conker Championships are cancelled, campaigners promote socially distanced game
The Campaign for Real Conkers, that opposes bans on conker playing and unnecessary rules and regulations in games has said that that with the cancellation of the World Conker Championships this year the way is open for people to stop watching others play conkers and play the game themselves.
The conker season is now open and the campaigners say it is the ideal game for new social distancing regulations in England that will apply from 14th September.
Early indications are that 2020 will see a good crop of conkers and windy weather has already seen some fall from trees.
The campaigners say that while they are maintaining their usual ‘anything goes’ approach to conker games, to encourage people to play without arbitrary rules, in 2020 some COVID-19 safety guidelines will apply.
Campaign Organiser Keith Flett said, we have maintained for years that the World Conker Championships with their rigid and outdated rules discourage people from actually playing the game. Of course it is bad news for the charities supported but it is good news for those who believe that conkers is a game to be played not spectated on.
World Conker Championship 2020 Cancellation
https://www.worldconkerchampionships.com/
Guide on how to play real conkers safely in 2020
1] Select your conker. Do this yourself. DO NOT use a conker provided by someone else who may give you a poor specimen.
2] Do not allow your chosen conker to be handled by others and once selected immediately sanitise it.
3] There is no specific kind of conker that makes a good game winner. Large conkers may more easily splinter for example. Some prefer conkers with flat and sharp edges
4] You may use the conker ‘as is’ known as ‘organic’. Alternatively you may seek to harden it by baking it, soaking it in vinegar etc. There is no guarantee that an artificially enhanced conker will perform any better than an organic one.
5] Drill a small hole through the conker. A nail will often achieve this. Again you must do this yourself
6] Thread the conker through the hole you have drilled. A strong chord, perhaps a shoelace is best
7] You are now ready to play.
8] Please wear a mask when playing and make sure your opponent is also wearing one
9] Make sure that the chord is long enough to allow you to stand at least 1 metre plus away from your opponent. This would generally be the case as space is required for the conker swing.
10] Players take alternate turns to try and hit and destroy their opponent’s conker
11] Those with poor aim may hit the knuckles of their opponent more often than the conker so you may wish to wear gloves.
12] If the conker does come into contact with an opponent please sanitise it before a further round
13] The winner is the player who determines their opponents conker unusable in further rounds, usually by causing it to splinter into two or more pieces
14] Play safely and enjoy!
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