Article: CONKERS AND OTHER GAMES FROM THE PAST sundaybriefing by Deborah Anderson

BREAKING out the darning needles and painstakingly stringing up conkers to battle it out with pals was once part of everyone's childhood.

But it is a game which is disappearing, along with the likes of hopscotch and British Bulldogs, swept aside by the Xbox and other digital delights.

Today the game of conkers will be celebrated at the World Conker Championships, organised by Ashton Conker Club in Northamptonshire, with an audience of more than 4000 people.

Surrounded by horse-chestnut trees, the World Conker Championships began in 1965 on Ashton village green but have now moved on to a larger site.

John Hadman, one of the organisers, has been playing conkers in Ashton for more than 70 years ...

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