Women's pool tournament sparks protests and furious backlash as transgender players reach final

A women's pool competition has been branded "preposterous" after two competitors faced each other in the final.

Harriet Haynes and Lucy Smith were the last players standing at the Ultimate Pool Women's Pro Series 2 event in Wigan, Greater , on Sunday (April 6), after defeating four rivals in previous rounds.

The event was met with fierce criticism and demonstrations, with protesters waving placards with slogans like "Save women's sport" and "He's a man" due to the finalists.

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The showdown, which ended with Haynes beating Smith 6-5, sparked further outcry across social media platforms, with TV personality branding it "cheating bulls***" and slamming the tournament as "preposterous". Echoing his sentiments, ex-Olympic swimming medallist condemned the competition as "bloody ridiculous" and decried it as "grossly wrong".

In an outspoken display, one protestor in the venue bellowed: "We stand with Lynne Pinches", a salute to the female competitor who last November chose not to play against Haynes, citing reasons of "fairness".

"Whenever you play a transgender player, even if you win, it doesn't make any difference because in your heart, you know it's unfair," Pinches told TalkTV following her withdrawal from the match, reports .

"Being biologically male and playing against females gives you a clear category advantage," she claimed. "I watch some of the shots they play, and I think females don't play these shots down the rails like this, and they don't clear up like this. They have a longer reach and a lot of them are taller than us.

"Women have been silenced because of a fear of being transphobic, that is why people don't speak out about this subject. It's not a gender issue, it's a fairness issue."

After knocking out Megan Proctor and Mary Talbot in the earlier stages of the Women's Pro Series, Haynes emerged triumphant, while Smith reached the final at Robin Park Leisure Centre by securing wins over Kirsty-Lee Davies and Danielle Randle.

Haynes, who underwent gender transition from male to female more than ten years ago at the age of 23, spoke to the about the "cess-pool" of online abuse she received following Pinches' withdrawal. Haynes insisted: "Trans women are not a threat to pool. We're not coming over in droves ... there's nothing to fear."

The pool ace has also vowed to exit the sport if definitive proof arises showcasing an unfair advantage against rivals.

As of now, transgender women can compete without any hindrance within the realms of the English Pool Association (EPA) and the World Eightball Pool Federation (WEPF), even though the EPA has had policies concerning transgender athletes under consideration for a period exceeding two years.

In a statement on X, Ultimate Pool said: "Ultimate Pool, since its inception, has been a champion for women's pool, providing a platform for the best women players in the game to showcase their ability. In the 4 years since the inaugural women's series, we've been proud to increase prize money, tournaments, broadcast coverage, and to provide a social media platform that the game has never seen before.

"In short: We love women's pool. Therefore, we are determined to continue to try and do our best for the future of the game. We understand the need for reasoned, sensible debate around this issue, but we also stress that Ultimate Pool will not tolerate abuse of any of its hundreds of players on our social platforms."