Tiddlywinks and lavatory snorkelling launch dishonest crackdown after conker scandal
EXCLUSIVE: In the wake of another cheating scandal to hit the World Conker Championship, other quirky competitions are bringing in their own strict rules for contestants to follow
Tiddlywinks and bog-snorkelling have launched a crackdown on potential cheaters at their local championships. This comes after the conkers and stone-skimming world championships were hit by swindlers.
A man dressed as a policeman caught smuggling in a metal chestnut was disqualified at the conkers showpiece in Northamptonshire on October 12. Meanwhile, three competitors found with polish-edged stones were kicked out of the skimming tournament in Scotland on September 6.
Now worried tiddlywinks chiefs will carry out checks for illegally-sized or sharpened metal ‘squidger’ discs – used to flick the smaller winks – at the prestigious National Teams of Four tournament. The competition is set to get underway at Cambridge University on November 22-23.
Andrew Garrard, secretary of the English Tiddlywinks Association, said: “After what happened with conkers and stone-skimming, we are on the lookout. One of our biggest tournaments of the year is coming up and we don’t want anything to go wrong; we expect everyone to conform to the rules of the game.
“Players can bring their own squidger, but in recent events we’ve had suspicions some competitors might break the 51mm maximum width rule, giving them better control of the winks and thereby gaining an advantage. Now we will check players’ squidger sizes.
“Sharp metal squidgers which scratch winks are also not permitted, and any player breaking the rule will be disqualified. Our umpires will watch closely.”
Bog-snorkelling bosses also plan extra scrutiny on the ban on all swimming strokes during the tournament. According to the rules, all forms of swimming apart from doggy paddle are not allowed at the World Championships, which are set to be held in Llanwrtyd Wells, Mid-Wales.
Event organiser Bob Greenough said: “We’ve don’t want cheating in our event. Marshalls will check competitors stick to the permitted stroke.”
The strict measure are being brought in after the World Conker Championship was subject to cheating for the second year in a row. During the course of the competition, it was revealed that one contestant had been seen using a metal chestnut to make their way through the tournament, and was subsequently disqualified.
It came after St John Burkett, a spokesperson for the committee behind the World Championships, had warned competitors of pranksters and Youtubers who were not going to play fairly. “We have had a deluge of entries from new players so are ready for mischief from social media video-makers and practical jokers,” he said before the competition got underway.
He added that all measures were being implemented in order to ensure there would be a fair tournament, which included the searching of every player, as well as their need to be scanned using a metal detector. “Anyone not permitting this will be deemed suspicious and expelled from the competition,” he insisted.
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