I can remember all too well the days spent with, my then young son, searching for conkers.
Just to add excitement to the occasion it was not unknown for him to hurl his shoes into a conker tree in order to try and get the best ones down – that were naturally in the highest branches, only for his shoes to then be stuck in the tree, so that poor old dad had to be called into service to get the shoes back.
But now comes news of a conker championship contest, which to be honest I’d never heard of.
It seems however that the WORLD CONKER CHAMPIONSHIPS have held annually since 1965.
Who’d have know that?
Well not me for starters!
This years event was staged last week in Northamptonshire, with no less than 200 participants.
So what has made this year’s event so newsworthy?
The answer to that is cheating – well alleged cheating anyway .
Nevertheless the title was once again awarded to 82-year old DAVID JAKINS, in spite of assertions that he’d cheated by swapping his real conker with one made of steel.
Event chairman, Jim Packer, rejected the allegation, saying that Mr Jakins had been taking part in conker competitions for 40 years and that it was well known that he routinely carried a metal conker to amuse children and that furthermore it was virtually impossible to cheat at conker competitions due to the scrutiny of the 4 judges.
Chair of the Tournament organisers, St John Burkett confirmed that in his view it was impossible to cheat and that there was no doubt that Mr Jakins correctly deserved his KING CONKER TITLE.
Nevertheless the overall event winner was women’s title winner, MISS KELCI BANSCHBACH from Indianapolis, Indiana, who defeated Mr Jakins in the final match to win the title QUEEN CONKER, the first American ever to win the World Conker Championships.
So there you have it!
And it’s not just conkers that we turn our attention to at this time of the year.
The other event which now seems to be catching on in the UK is Halloween, which until recently seems to have attracted far more attention in the USA.
I mention that since for her historical feature this week, MARGARET MILLS looked at the Essex connection with COUNT DRACULA.
Oh yes, there is a connection, especially with Purfleet.
In the 1897 book by BRAM STOKER, mention is made of a place called CARFAX HOUSE in Purfleet.
It will come as little surprise that the original CARFAX HOUSE no longer exists, if it ever did.
However the house on which it is believed Bram Stoker modelled his fictitious CARFAX HOUSE, was PURFLEET HOUSE, built in the 1790’s for the Whitbred family which itself was demolished in the 1920’s.
You can listen again here to what Margaret told me today: –
Very much hope to see you again next week,
Scott