conkers

"Billy Connolly has worked his conkers off to make it look like he's just thought something up," he says.

The event saw participants go head-to-head using conkers threaded on to string to try and smash their opponent's nut.

Recent storms had blown hundreds of conkers out of the trees, raising concerns that they might rot before the big day.

A mature horse chestnut, it is festooned with glorious blooms every spring, and after a few weeks sheds hundreds of partially grown, supernumerary conkers, encased in spiky green coverings.

While conkers is usually played in autumn when the horse chestnuts fall from their trees, the game can be played at any time according to King Conker.