Conker championship chaos returns to the streets of Peckham, where people will battle it out for the ultimate prize – the golden conker.
Peckham Rye will host the Peckham Conker Championship on Saturday 12 October, with separate competitions for children and adults.
Founder and local conker collector, Chris Quigley, created Peckham’s conker community in 2017 after moving to the area and discovered that the Rye was covered in conkers, whilst on a walk with his daughter.
Quigley said: “It’s a weirdly wonderful gathering of people, having grown organically, it’s completely random.
“It’s a game of all ages and types of people – it’s a really wholesome thing that I created.”
To make the game more engaging to play and watch, Quigley created battle royale rules which he stated means that there basically are no rules.
Quigley said: “The weird thing about a conker is that it’s completely useless. You can’t eat it, you can’t do anything with it.
“So I wanted to do something with them, because they’re really beautiful.
“But watching people play conkers is very boring, so I took that on board and basically created this new set of rules.
“There’s a lot of hustling and elements of fighting, but kind of polite fighting.
“It’s conkers, but a bit different because it’s in the middle of Peckham, in a massively urban environment.
“It can be very gritty, but it’s people playing conkers, so it’s kind of this weird juxtaposition.”
As conkers is usually a game played as a child, Quigley knew it was important to ensure that the event is suitable and enjoyable for young people too.
He added: “The competition is very empowering I think for these kids because hundreds of people are all cheering for them.
“It’s a really special environment that we have created. It’s really fun for all ages, kids through to adults through to grandparents.”
Since the event started in 2017, it has grown immensely – from just five people the first year, to last year where there were more than 300 competitors and hundreds more spectators.
As a Peckham local, it has always been important to Quigley that the event engages with the community.
So, with a DJ and live act this year, players and spectators will be able to enjoy the competition before descending into the afterparty.
The children’s competition with run from 1pm until 3pm, before the adults between 3pm and 6pm.
Those wishing to compete in the championship, must register their interest on the Peckham Conker Club website, with tickets going live tomorrow.
Quigley encourages people to come along and spectate even if they do not want to play, selling the event as conker chaos.
All images courtesy of Don Blandford / Peckham Conker Club
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