World Conker Championships men's winner accused of cheating with 'steel' conker

Retired engineer David Jakins, 82, defeated his opposition in just one hit, which 'just doesn't happen' and led to accusations of 'foul play' by losing finalist Alastair ­Johnson-Ferguson

The World Conker Championships has been rocked by cheating claims after the men’s winner was found with a fake steel chestnut.

David Jakins, known as King Conker, raised eyebrows when he smashed rival players’ conkers in one hit. He ­vehemently denies cheating after winning his first final since entering the contest in 1977.

The 82-year-old retired ­engineer is so well respected in the game he helps attach other players’ ­chestnuts to their strings, sparking fears he could have marked harder ones. Losing finalist Alastair ­Johnson-Ferguson said he told organisers he suspected there was “foul play”. The 23-year-old added: “My conker disintegrated in one hit, and that just doesn’t happen.

“Now it turns out King Conker had a dummy steel conker, so he could have swapped his real conker for that one. Or he could have marked the conker strings to pick out a harder nut. I have expressed my surprise to organisers.”

But Mr Jakins, who has entered the contest every year, dismissed the claim. He said: “I had the steel conker in my pocket, but it’s just something I carry for laughs. I didn’t use it in the ­competition. This wasn’t cheating or a fix, and I didn’t tamper with the strings.”

The fake steel conker was found in Mr Jakins’ pocket after his competition win at Southwick, Northants. World Conker Championships spokesman St John Burkett said: “­Allegations of foul play have been received that somehow King Conker swapped his real conker for the metal one.

"Players select conkers from a sack before each round. There are also suggestions King Conker had marked the strings of harder nuts. He was involved in drilling and lacing the nuts. We are investigating.”

The tournament ­organisers said: “David Jakins, previous finalist and ­long-standing committee member, very much deserves his King Conker title. But Mr Jakins, from Peterborough, lost out in the grand final – for both men and women – to ­American Kelci Banschbach, 34, who was the first US entry to win since 1965.