ANNAPOLIS ROYAL, N.S. — Spike Sprague might have thought he’d finally get one up on his mother Georgette, but his selection of a faulty chestnut spelled his doom as the tiny orb exploded on contact when he swung maybe a bit too hard in the final of the North American Conkers Championships in Annapolis Royal Oct. 19.
Georgette Sprague didn’t know what all the cheering was about because her chestnut was still in one piece hanging from its shoelace. It wasn’t until she look up at her son that she realized his was gone and she was the champion.
It was the eighth edition of the championships, a must-see event at Historic Gardens each October. Dozens entered the competition which Annapolis Royal Conkers Club president Simon Bonnington said went extremely well. A former champion himself, Bonnington ran the event by pitting entrants in two pools against each other in a total of 49 contests. He also read the rules, announced the contests as the event unfolded, and announced the champion at the end.
“We were delighted we had an excellent turnout of competitors, and great enthusiasm and fun was had by all,” Bonnington said, “and it was lovely to see a new North American Conkers Champion -- a very exciting final between a mother and son. I’m glad everybody enjoyed themselves. The weather once again blessed us and thankyou everybody who has participated and helped with the organization and setup and strikedown, It’s very much a an activity that requires a whole community to support it.”
CROFTON CHALICE
Contestants were playing for the much-coveted Crofton Chalice, presented annually by Town Crier Peter Crofton Davies who, like Bonnington, grew up playing the old English schoolyard game. To say it’s caught on in Annapolis Royal would be an understatement and the excitement was palpable as crowds and participants gathered at the Historic Gardens courtyard.
A press release prior to the championships described it as “the fury of colliding chestnuts.”
And it was so.
Georgette Sprague went undefeated in five contests only to meet her son Spike Sprague in the final. Spike Sprague made a strike on Georgette Sprague’s chestnut – but instead of smashing it, his own flew apart to give his mother the win.
Bonnington might have been complicit in rigging the board. It was set up in such a way as to create the potential for at least three possible finals that included father and son, or mother and son. Paula Hafting and son Saul both reached quarter finals and were two matches away from meeting in the final. Bonnington himself could possibly have met son Oli in the final if he hadn’t been knocked out of play by former Spectator columnist Stephen Hawboldt in the quarter final as well. Oli Bonington made it to the semi-final only to be dispatched by Spike Sprague.
CONKERS
“Participants each select a chestnut, or conker in England, and drill a hole through the middle,” event information explained. “A length of shoelace is then threaded through the hole in each nut and knotted at the bottom. Competitors then take turns alternately hitting their opponent’s chestnut or having theirs hit.”
Once a conker is knocked off the string, the surviving nut is declared the winner.
“Hardening conkers through aging, freezing, or resins is strictly illegal.
The Annapolis Royal event is inspired by the Conker World Championships in Ashton, England.
“The conker championship is an event that fits well in the spirit of Annapolis Royal,” said Bonnington, club president and the 2015 Champion. “This is a timeless schoolyard activity taking place in a garden within an historic town. It is an ideal way to spend a morning. While the competition can certainly become intense in the final rounds, there is a spirit of camaraderie and fun throughout the day.”
