Alastair Johnson-Ferguson, who lost in the men’s final against Jakins, said he suspected “foul play”, the Telegraph reported.
The 23-year-old said: “My conker disintegrated in one hit, and that just doesn’t happen … I’m suspicious of foul play and have expressed my surprise to organisers.”
Kelci Banschbach, 34, from Indianapolis, defeated the men’s champion in the grand final to become the first American to win the competition. More than 200 people took part.
Jakins said: “I was found with the steel conker in my pocket, but I only carry [it] around with me for humour value and I did not use it during the event.
“Yes, I did help prepare the conkers before the tournament. But this isn’t cheating or a fix, and I didn’t mark the strings.”
St John Burkett, a spokesperson for the World Conker Championships, said the cheating claims were being investigated.
“Allegations of foul play have been received that somehow King Conker swapped his real conker for the metal one later found in his pocket.
www.theguardian.com
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