Controversy has once again shrouded women’s pool after transgender player Harriet Haynes was defeated by Welshwoman Kirsty-Lee Davies in the U.K. Mini Series pool championships last weekend.
Haynes hit the headlines last year after Lynne Pinches refused to play against the transgender pool player in the at the Ladies Champions of Champions final.
Pinches received an outpouring of support online for making the tough decision to walk away from a major final.
That incident came just a month after the World Eightball Pool Federation (WEPF) changed rules to allow trans players to participate in female tournaments.
The decision from the sport’s governing body caused uproar among the top competitors, but Haynes has been allowed to continue with fellow trans player Lucy Smith also emerging on the tour.
Kirsty-Lee Davies beat Harriet Haynes in the final
At last weekend’s Ultimate Pool Group tournament, both Haynes and Smith made it through to the semi-finals where they faced each other.
Haynes ended up progressing to the final to face Davies and the trans player was on the verge of victory after taking a 5-2 lead.
But Davies pulled off a remarkable comeback, winning four consecutive frames to beat Haynes to the title.
The Women’s Rights Network congratulated Davies on her win, adding: “Despite the best efforts of the pool authorities to scupper her chances by allowing two males to compete in the female category.
“Congratulations to Kirsty-Lee Davies winner of the @ultimatepool_ Women’s Mini Series.
“However, they claimed the two transgender pool players who finished runner-up and lost in the semi-final have been given prize money ‘stolen from women’.
Pinches also paid credit to Davies online, writing: “What a phenomenal comeback. Well played Kirsty-Lee Davies.”
She had also taken aim at the decision to allow both Smith and Haynes to enter the tournament.
Pinches added: “What an absolute embarrassment our sport has become.”
Harriet Haynes has won a number of titles in the women’s game
Speaking after he decision to pull out of last year’s Ladies Champions of Champions final, Pinches explained her dismay at the sport’s governing body for allowing trans players to compete.
“Walking out was the toughest thing I’ve ever had to do in the game in my life,” she said.
“I have played 30 years and I’ve never even conceded so much as a frame, never mind a match.
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Lucy Smith reached the semi-final last week
“This was only my fourth final ever but the trophy or money meant nothing to me without fairness, and that’s what I said to the tournament director afterwards.
“I don’t care about the money or the title or the trophy. I care about fairness. If they hadn’t done that U-turn, we wouldn’t be here now.
“We were all so elated when they originally said they were going to have a strict category for biological females.”