Conkers

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Posted: Wed May 21, 2008 10:04 pm

I just read a short paragraph about a game played with the fallen nuts from a chestnut tree called "conkers". Is this still played in England today? Can someone explain how it is played? Thanks in advance.

Baiting Guru Joined: 08 Jul 2004 Posts: 11857 Location: UK

Yes, it's still played, I don't think there is a kid in the UK who hasn't played conkers at some time, there is even a conker world championships Very Happy

Some links for you:

Conkers - How to play this Traditional Game

Wikipedia - Conker

Conker World Championships

Posted: Wed May 21, 2008 10:15 pm

I've played conkers as a kid, it was great fun.

There was a move to ban it a few years ago in the UK because kids were sometimes getting bruised knuckles etc.
I even saw that kids were being encouraged to wear safety goggles when conkering, due to the risk of flying particles when your nut smashes.
Seperate subject I know, but I just wish they would let kids be kids and have a bit of tough fun.

I always thought it was world wide? (Or at least where the tree grows anyway!)

Posted: Wed May 21, 2008 10:26 pm

No conkers in Australia Sad

And yes, a few bruised knuckles is part of the fun! Safety goggles Rolling Eyes

Posted: Wed May 21, 2008 11:01 pm

Wow... We thought we were the only idiots doing this when I was young. That was over 40 years ago. Lots of smacked up knuckles back then.

Location: Ontario, Canada.

Shemp

Elite Baiter Joined: 19 Jan 2008 Posts: 1043

Mine tended not to smash too often. I usually used last years conkers.

Well, once i filled a conker shell with epoxy putty, but it didn't ever get used in a proper match.

Posted: Wed May 21, 2008 11:45 pm

Baking and soaking them in vinegar was the way the kids used to cheat when I was a lad.

The best bit about conkering was getting the buggers out of the tree though - pick up the largest stick you could throw and woof it at where you thought the best one was. With a good throw, you could down half a dozen at a time and it was like Christmas opening the shells to see if you'd managed to get a killer.

Posted: Thu May 22, 2008 6:47 am

I got through to the semi-final of our office conker tournament last autumn. I have to tell you, it was a vicious and tightly-fought competition. Some people got shinpads to use on their forearms, but I am proud to say I did not stoop that low. Laughing

Posted: Thu May 22, 2008 9:23 am

My beloved had a massive horse chestnut tree in the back garden and would take the conkers to school and hand them out for free. HOWEVER, the skewer to make the hole was hired out at sixpence a go (this was in the Ice Age when kids were allowed to take such deadly weapons to school) and the string was for sale at a reasonable price too.

Baiting Guru Joined: 19 Mar 2007 Posts: 2628

We Scots have horse chestnut trees too

We are currently working on a plan to get a superior variety the we will conker the world

Posted: Thu May 22, 2008 10:10 am

We have loads of massive horse chestnut trees in our village and every autumn loads of kids throw sticks to get the conkers down.

As I recall if you shattered your opponents conker in combat you were a 'oneser', another success made you a 'twoser', then a threeser' etc. If somebody shattered another conker they could add their opponents tally onto their own. Maybe I just dreamt that. Happy days, jumpers for goalposts, fly goalie, conkers, British Bulldog, marbles......

Master of Master Baiters Joined: 06 Feb 2008 Posts: 720

When the 2 conker strings entwined the first to shout out strings got the next go

Posted: Thu May 22, 2008 11:00 am

Quote:

pick up the largest stick you could throw

oh those were the days.... having to run like f**k as the stick came back down again with an unerring accuracy.

Bracken hee, banger fights, knock down ginger, golf ball hunting.....
sliding over the frozen ponds in the winter...

Posted: Thu May 22, 2008 11:10 am

^^^Kick the can(Street hide and seek but with tin can/football).
Subbuteo - I've still got my old set from the 60s.
Tig - you're it.
Privet hedge diving.

There was also one where one person/team who had a head start chalked arrows at certain intervals on the pavement/walls and the other person/team had to try and catch up with them - fox and hounds type of thing. If you were really devious you would chalk one in the wrong direction and then carry on in another. Laughing

Master of Master Baiters Joined: 06 Feb 2008 Posts: 720

Knock down ginger, totopoly,and your jumpers making good goal posts

Posted: Thu May 22, 2008 11:31 am

conkers is bonkers..sorry I just had to say that.

Posted: Thu May 22, 2008 2:32 pm

Ya know you gotta love a country who's past time is conking nuts! Thanks for all the information. I am sorry that I grew up where trees were scarce. Our main sport was playing softball. Summer had not officially arrived until someone put a softball through the Nelson's picture window. It was a badge of honor if you crashed that window.