A dying breed?

4:06pm Tuesday 30th September 2008

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WITHERED, brown and looking old before their time.

No, it is not a description of an ageing sun worshipper, but the sorry state of Hampshire’s horse chestnuts.

Foreign moths have invaded the south coast and their attacks on the trees are leading to fears for a traditional favourite British playground pastime.

Leaf miner larvae from Greece and Macedonia have been feasting on the English horse chestnut leaves, destroying the greenery of some of the best-recognised trees this country has to offer.

The result is leaves turning a shrivelled brown, before falling to the ground early.

Reports have been coming in since August of horse chestnuts shedding their foliage – at least a month earlier than normal.

As well as ruining the normally majestic sight of the trees, the moths’ antics spell potential disaster for enthusiasts of the reason horse chestnuts are so revered in classrooms across the land – conkers.

Not only do moth-eaten trees shed their leaves early, but the favourite natural toys of most self-respecting young schoolchildren are dropping to the ground before they are fully formed.

The harvest of small conkers struck fear into the heart of those organising tournaments in the age-old sport.

For the first time in its 44-year history, those behind the World Conker Championships announced they were worried a shortage of suitably-sized fruits from horse chestnuts could jeopardise this year’s competition.

After sending out an urgent SOS, the needed 5,000 conkers have been found and the Nottinghamshire-based event is going ahead next month.

Enthusiasts in Fareham have had to widen their search for a supply of conkers to ensure Saturday’s competition at Holly HillWoodland Park would not fall victim to the moths.

David Redwood, a member of The Friends of Holly Hill Woodland Park said the conker supply has been decimated, but enough have now been collected, even if they are not up to size.

“We first noticed problems with our horse chestnuts last year when leaves turned brown in July and conkers were small and fell early,” he said.

“This year has been even worse wi t h no decent conkers to be had in the park.

“We hold our annual conkers championships at the normal peak of the conkers season, but we had to collect from other sites within the borough so that we could hold the competition.

“Conkers will be smaller than usual, but the competition will go ahead.”

• The Holly Hill tournament starts at 2pm on Saturday. Competitors can enrol on the day for a 50p charge.