Egg jarping: when hard-boiled eggs come to blows

Chocolate eggs may be tasty, but they're just not robust enough for my Easter celebrations.Chances are that if you're not from the north-east of England, you've been missing out on the glorious tradition of egg jarping. Like conkers, but with hard-boiled eggs, at face value there's no skill involved, but try telling that to the combatants who gather at the World Jarping Championships in Peterlee, Durham, each Easter.

Want to try it yourself? With reference to the official rules, drawn up 30 years ago by the World Egg Jarping Association (WEJA), here's a guide:

1 You need hard-boiled eggs. (WEJA recommends a 10-minute boil), but don't get any ideas about warming your eggs on the radiator or coating them in nail varnish. Jarping-egg-tampering will not be tolerated.

2 It's a one-on-one, knockout tournament. One player holds their egg firmly in their hand with the pointed end uppermost. The second player brings their egg down, so the pointed ends connect, in a movement known as a "dunsh". No runups - feet on the ground please.

3 If either egg is cracked after the first jarp, the unlucky player is eliminated. If both eggs remain intact, swap places and keep jarping until one egg gives way.

4 The victor. That is the bearer of a perfect, undented egg, while others are scooping up broken bits of shell from the carpet.