Young and old, novices and experienced, plus thousands of spectators from many nations all travel to the British village of Ashton on the second Sunday in October. Since 1965, Ashton has been the site of the Annual World Series of Conker, a folk game that has gladdened the hearts of British, Scottish, and Australian school children every fall for generations.
What is ‘Conker’ all about?
For one, conker refers to the fruit of the horse chestnut tree; a hard, shiny brown sphere inside a prickly outer shell that falls from the tree when it ripens in the fall. It is also the name of the game and of the participants.
The fruit chosen for the game must be symmetrical, hard, and free of cracks. To test for sturdiness, the chestnuts are placed in a bucket of water. Undamaged ones sink to the bottom, while the lesser ones float on the surface.
