World Conker Championships probing cheating claims after winner found with steel chestnut [Video]

THE WORLD CONKER Championships has launched an investigation after its men’s champion was accused of using a conker made of steel.

David Jakins, aged 82, became the Men’s World Conker Champion on Sunday after a “fantastic” one-hit win – but this led to his defeated opponent, Alastair Johnson-Ferguson, raising concerns about the conker Jakins used during their face-off.

The controversy escalated when a steel conker was found inside Jakins’ pocket, leading the World Conker Championships to launch a probe into the cheating claims.

The object was painted brown, and “indistinguishable” from a real horse chestnut safe for its weight, the chairman of the event’s organising committee said.

The event based on the traditional children’s game requires its participants to use randomly picked conkers threaded onto a string.

The aim of the game is for a player to swing their conker at their opponent’s until one of them breaks.

Jakins, also …