Yes – your eyes may firmly be fixed on the Premier League table between the months of August and May, but there’s a different sort of competition where the true winners seek to rise to the top in October. It’s a competition cloaked in more nostalgia but as much fighting spirit as a game of football, – though you might come out of this one with more bruised knuckles, as the Peckham Conker Championships return to South London next month.
Conkers is a game that we may associate with a simpler time, but there’s probably nothing innocent about hundreds of people getting together to fight for this prized title: the true Peckham Conker Champion. Invoke the spirit that first got conkers banned from your school playground and crack right into the spirit of the game.
Peckham Conker Championships take place at Peckham Rye station arches on October 12 this yearand there’s still time to sign up for your place at the games!
For those who are not initiated with a game of conkers (you have missed out but it’s not too late, comrades), this is how it works. Grab your conker – the seeds of a horse chestnut you’ll start seeing scattered around London parks at this time of year – and hook it up to some string. Once you’ve made your fighter, you take them into battle. Both you and your opposition will exchange blows (hit each other’s conkers) until one conker remains unshattered and victory is claimed. It’s the kind of deranged and innocent fun that we all loved as children, and playing in a competition is sure to reignite that feeling.
As always, two competitions will take place at Peckham Conker Championships: one for those aged 4-15, and another for those over 16. Aside from having your name permanently marked in Conker history, the top prize is the famous ‘golden nut’ 22-carat gold trophy. Take it home and reap the eternal glory of the conk over at Peckham Rye next month.
One last thing – they go by the Battle Royale rules, where you must win at all costs… ‘nut-pimping, stampsies and any kind of cheating’ are encouraged.
Peckham Conker Championships take place under the arches of Peckham Rye train station on October 12, and you can find out more or sign up to take part here!
