Now those taking part in today's showpiece were warned they would be cautioned and then expelled if they did not strike with reasonable force. St John Burkett, spokesperson for the Conker World Championships, said: 'There were too many bore-draws last year as tactically-savvy players deliberately hit gently to prevent damage to their own conker. 'But that is against the rules. We are called nut-bashers for a reason. And we don't want a reputation for being boring. 'Anyone not making a genuine attempt to break their opponent's conker will be shown a yellow card, with a red card for a repeat offence. 'We need to attract young players to keep our sport alive, and bore draws is not the way to do it.' The championship, which is held annually in October in Northamptonshire, involves threading the Horse Chestnut seeds onto a piece of string and taking turns striking each others conkers attempting to break them Competitors grin as they wait to take part in the annual World Conker Championships Competitors take part in the annual World Conker Championships at the Shuckburgh Arms Organisers of the World Conker Championships were featured among the most boring men in Britain by the 2024 Dull Men's Club calendar, which mocks the likes of traffic cone collectors and fans of bricks. Rowdy players also faced being carded for aggressive or unsporting play. Mr Burkett said: 'Players who are too aggressive or excessively drunk will be dealt with, and issued with yellow and red cards where appropriate. 'It is the first time players could be disqualified for their behaviour. We are a gentlemen's game and want to keep it that way.' But conkers will reject VAR and keep judges, unlike Wimbledon, which this week ditched tennis judges in favour of electronic line calls. Mr Birkett said: 'Some of our elderly judges' eyesight is not what it was, but we need to keep the human side of our sport alive.' Wimbledon line judges had their 'love and passion ripped away', a chair umpire has revealed, after the All England Club announced plans to replace them with Artificial Intelligence from 2025. Competitor Neil Morbey wore a conker themed hat for the special occasion A competitor selects his conker from a bag before he plays Competitors at the annual World Conker Championships donned funky outfits Chelsea pensioner John Riley takes part in the annual competition Immaculately dressed officials courtside at SW19 has been one of the quintessential sights of a British summer for 147 years but the tradition will now be consigned to history after Wednesday's shock decision. The incumbent Hawk-Eye Live system has been used on the tour for a number of years and was rolled out at a Grand Slam for the first time in the 2020 US Open. It is an upgrade to the original technology, first introduced at tennis's premier competition in 2007, which has gifted players the ability to review calls they feel to be incorrect. The move to automated electronic line calling (ELC) leaves the futures of more than 300 line judges up in the air and chair umpire Richard Ings told the Telegraph it was a 'sad but inevitable day'. The conkers championships started in 1965 and in its 58 year history has only been cancelled once in 2011 - which was due to bad weather. In 2018, a last-minute nationwide conker appeal saved the championships amid a nut shortage, with enthusiasts bringing them from as far away as Scotland and Cornwall. Mark Hunter and Jasmine Tetley are the current male and female champions in the sport have both won last year's tournament. Despite remaining a popular game in the playground, one in six schools has banned conkers amid fears of injury or, bizarrely, triggering a nut allergy – even though conkers, which are produced by horse chestnut trees, aren't nuts. And in the digital age fewer children are interested in the centuries old game enjoyed by generations of Brits.