Overview

• Organisers say the risk of calling off the 12 October event is small, with a final decision expected within a week to 10 days.
• This season’s horse chestnuts are smaller and fell early, increasing the chance they will split when holes are drilled for laces.
• Volunteers are freezing fallen conkers or storing them in buckets of water to preserve stock, with any frozen nuts fully defrosted before play.
• The championships plan for 256 players and up to 2,500 spectators in Southwick, Northamptonshire, and have raised more than £420,000 for visually impaired causes since 1965.
• The Met Office confirms 2025 was the UK’s hottest summer on record, and last year’s cheating allegation was investigated with the winner later cleared.