A look inside the weirdly competitive world of pub conker championships in Knott End and Preesall

Andy Gregory is nuts about conkers - and he’s not alone. As he defends last year’s title, Andy has to beat off some stiff competition to be crowned the Knott End and Preesall World Conker Champion 2024.

In a special episode of Unconventional Brits, Iain Lynn visits The Bourne Arms to get inside the weirdly cut-throat world of conkers. During the 12 minute show, organiser Stuart Ward talks about why he’s brought this old-fashioned yet quirky sport to his pub.

But it’s not just conkers - landlord Stuart also fills his venue with retro wooden games like pinball - as he says it gets people off their phones and gives younger customers a taste of how things used to be. He tells Shots! TV: “Kids don’t know about conkers anymore. They can’t play them at school cause of health and safety. Times have changed, so bringing it back is a nostalgic thing. But we still offer the health and safety equipment.”

In the fun and engaging programme, competitors can be seen getting into the spirit of this nutty game, but none can quite match up to Mr Gregory, who takes home the trophy. After a triumphant match, an elated Mr Gregory tells Shots! TV: “It’s fantastic. I can’t believe what’s just happened tonight. I already felt confident but when I had Neil [runner up] in the final, I thought ‘I’ve already won it’.”

Watch the full episode online at https://www.shotstv.com/watch/vod/52663420/unconventional-brits-episode-12

A new episode of Unconventional Brits airs every week. For more previous episodes visit this playlist https://www.shotstv.com/playlist/5931/unconventional-brits