Conker champion is cleared of cheating in world final
The king of conker championships has been cleared of cheating accusations in the world tournament.
David Jakins, 82, was thrown into the eye of the storm after a metal conker was discovered in his pocket at the World Conker Championships.
Jakins – also known as ‘King Conker’ – was the subject of an investigation looking into the steel chestnut incident following accusations of cheating.
He beat his opponent in the semi-final and final with one strike – almost unheard of in the game.
Now the retired engineer has been cleared by the organisers after they found no evidence it was actually used in the competition.
His opponent, Alistair Johnson-Ferguson, has also withdrawn the earlier accusations against Jakins.
Jakins, who has competed annually since 1977, said he won thanks to decades of practice and by playing like a gentleman.
He also vowed never to bring his metal dummy conker to the tournament.
The reigning ‘King Conker’ said: ‘I’m so relieved to be cleared. It’s been a stressful week. The phone hasn’t stopped ringing.
‘We are gentlemen at the World Conker Championships and we don’t cheat. I’ve been playing and practicing for decades. That’s how I won.
‘I admit I had the steel conker in my pocket, but I didn’t play with it. I show it to people as a joke. But I won’t be bringing it to the tournament again after all the attention in the past week.’
The investigation was launched after his opponent, Alistair Johnson-Ferguson, 23, said his conker ‘disintegrated in one hit, and that just doesn’t happen.’
Experts analysed his conker after the controversial strike but they concluded that there was ‘no evidence that the steel conker was used.’
Johnson-Ferguson, from London, has now made a U-turn on his accusations of foul play.
He suggested he made up the cheating scandal, saying ‘there was no way to cheat.’
He said: ‘All I want to say is I’m sure it was very fair – there was no way to cheat. They don’t really need to do anything else.
‘It was completely fair. Just don’t call me a sore loser.’
The 23-year-old said he was trying ‘to put this thing a bit behind me now.’
Jim Packer, the event chairman, commented on his reaction to the BBC: ‘Somebody’s a sore loser, I think.’
A spokesperson for the World Conker Championships weighed in about the game last Sunday: ‘We have studied photos and videos of matches, interviewed judges and examined the chestnuts used by King Conker.
‘The investigation has found no evidence that the steel conker was used. King Conker has been cleared of suspicion, and his name is being engraved on the trophy.’
The steel conker was found to be almost identical to a real chestnut. However, the 4cm metal version weighs around 200 grams – up to ten times more than a normal conker.
But insiders within the game said the accusations levelled against Jakins were unfounded, saying that the steel conker has been a popular feature of the event, MailOnline reports.
Jakins is known for telling children he bets they can’t smash it before revealing it is made of metal as part of a running joke.
The game attracted 256 players and 2,000 fans to Southwick, Northamptonshire.
While Jakins won the Men’s Open, the overall winner was American women’s champion Kelci Banschbach, 34, from Indiana. She said just two years ago, she had no idea what a conker was.
Jakins, from Warmington, Northamptonshire, added: ‘I’d like to thank everyone for their interest in our game, and encourage them to get out and play conkers. And if you think you can beat me, come and play in the Championships next year.’
Conker enthusiasts have been coming together to compete in the championships since 1965.
The event, organised by Ashton Conker Club, has raised £420,000 for charity over the years.
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