Whose turn is it to conquer the conkers at Peckham Rye?
It is becoming something of a feature in the local calendar. The annual Peckham Conker Championships – set up in 2017 by local conker collector Chris Quigley – are about to take place again.
It’s an event that is a real throwback to school playgrounds and a time before the digital age consumed the attention of younger generations.
On Saturday, October 12, hundreds of enthusiasts are expected to take part in the event – either as competitors or as avid spectators.
Last year, some 500 crammed into the Peckham Rye railway station arches to watch Pietro the Pummeller become the first Italian to make off with the Golden Nut prize as overall winner.
He defeated the previous winner Harry Hard Nut – who is said to have nearly lost a tooth along the way, such are the potential dangers of smashing conkers.
There is an event for juniors, too, with Finn winning the U15 event and Edmund the U9 category last year. As it says on the club website: “Some great SE conker talent, waiting in the wings for the golden nut.”
It is serious enough an event for the club to sell special packs of five cellar-aged ‘killer’ conkers “hand-selected for quality and each branded with the Peckham Conker Club ‘lightning bolt’ – signifying its killer instincts.”
They are not cheap at £15 a pack, but for those who take their conker fights seriously, it’s probably a snip. T-shirts, posters and conker strings are also available.
The conkers in those packs are all at least a year old, aged and air-dried in Peckham Conker Club HQ’s cellars, making them extra hard and more likely to win their contests. The conkers all come pre-holed and with two conker strings and an instruction card. They leave nothing to chance.
Spokesman ‘Conker Chris’ said: “The Peckham Conker Championships are billed as London’s alternative conker competition, where we play by Battle Royale rules and anything goes – including nut-pimping, stampsies and any kind of cheating.
“Last year saw 500+ people take part under the arches of Peckham Rye Train Station, with our first Italian champion ‘Pietro the Pummeler’ winning the Golden Nut – a 22-carat gold conker, the ultimate conker prize.
“This year’s event is taking place at Peckham Railway Arches, and we’re running both junior (4 to 15) and senior (16+) battles.”
This year’s timetable: 1pm-3pm: Junior Competition, 3pm-6pm: Senior Competition. 6.30pm onwards: Live music and DJs. It costs £10 to take part (£5 for youngsters). For full info and to sign up, please visit: https://peckhamconker.
Pictured top: No prisoners taken. Action from last year’s event (Picture: Peckham Conker Club)