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They're,
of course, the only world championships that really matter.
It's
conker time, and on Sunday, 12th October, the 39th World Conker
Championships are being held in the village of Ashton, near Oundle.
See our directions page for
a map and instructions on how to get to Ashton.
Conkering
the world
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| Multinational:
Last year's opening ceremony |
Competitors
come from all over the world. Last year there were entries from
Ireland, France, Italy, Ukraine, Poland, Italy, USA, Canada, Australia,
New Zealand and China.
But conkers is a still a sport at which Britain excels. The current
Men's champion is Richard Swailes from Northamptonshire and the
Women's champion is Liz Gibson from West Sussex.
See our winners list for 2002
No
cheating
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| No
cheating: soaking in vinegar is not allowed |
Competitors
are not allowed to use their own conkers for the championships.
So there's no soaking of conkers in vinegar or baking them in the
oven.
Around 40 enthusiastic members of the Ashton Conker Club collect
all the championship conkers from the village and surrounding area.
Only fallers are permitted; throwing sticks into the trees to make
the nuts fall is strictly outlawed.
The
conkers are measured, precision drilled and threaded with boot laces.
Read
the official rules, and a few ideas
for cheating!
Spectator
sport
Every year, thousands of spectators come to Ashton to watch the
championships. But its not all conkers. This year St Dunstans blind
archers will be demonstrating their skills and a beer festival is
being held in the Chequered Skipper pub.
See
the championship timetable
for more details.
The
Championships may be a magnificent jamboree of English eccentricity,
but over the years they have raised nearly £230,000 for the
blind or visually impaired.
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