Head of the Junior School, Mr Cassidy said of the afternoon “When the pockets of the juniors are bulging with the seed of the horse chestnut tree and children shuffle around the campus like geisha girls because the laces of their shoes are missing, we know at Buckswood that it’s the conker season again.” At noon last Friday scores of juniors lined up to face their opponents on the sports fields of Buckswood and what is claimed to be the largest conker fight at any school in the South East region began. Within minutes, the air was filled with cries of “Strings!” and “Ouch!”. Despite all sorts of tricks employed by some to create the everlasting conker, it was the ‘honest conker’ that prevailed and won the match, proving that soaking conkers in vinegar and baking them in ovens is no match for a freshly picked conker in expert hands. Viki Ireland, from the school, said: “The annual conker fight is a popular event among children in the junior school and for decades in the United Kingdom, this childish pastime has entertained generations of schoolboys, although it is fair to say that an increasing number of girls like to participate in this activity too. “Buckswood prides itself at encouraging pupils to try lots of new activities, the ‘101 things to do at Buckswood’ programme enables pupils to try something different and discover skills and talents they never knew they had.”
