Walkout in Prestatyn sparked 'vile' and 'horrific' abuse, says transgender pool player

Harriet Haynesother

Harriet Haynes was World Masters Champion, World Scotch Doubles Champion, European Champion and European Team Champion in 2023

A transgender pool champion says she received "vile" and "horrific" abuse online after her opponent refused to play her in a final.

Lynne Pinches conceded the Women's Champion of Champions tournament to Harriet Haynes in Prestatyn.

Pinches said she did it out of "fairness", claiming transgender women have a competitive advantage.

Haynes disagrees with Pinches' stance and says the sport's authorities agree with her (Haynes).

"The world governing body.... looked into this, and couldn't find any evidence," Haynes told BBC Sport Wales.

"They didn't agree that males have an inherent advantage over females (in cue sports)."

Fair Play For Women (FPFW) describes itself as "a campaigning and consultancy group which works to protect the rights of women and girls in the UK".

A spokesperson for FPFW said: "The issue here is that (Harriet) Haynes brings male advantage into the women's game.

"That is unfair on Lynne (Pinches) and all the other women. The governing bodies need to amend the eligibility rules so that female players have a fair shot.

"Haynes is free to play in men's or open events. Lynne Pinches shook hands politely with her opponent and conceded the match, as is her right.

"She is not responsible for people's reactions on social media."

Haynes says she was "shocked" Pinches went through with a plan to forfeit their final in November after playing a lag shot to officially start the contest.

Many in the crowd at Prestatyn's now-closed Pontins resort applauded Pinches as she walked away from the table with shouts of 'yes Lynne!', while the incident made worldwide headlines, including on Fox News in the United States.

It follows an apparent U-turn by the sport's governing bodies, the World Eightball Pool Federation (WEPF) and Ultimate Pool Group, on its transgender policy.

In August players were told "only naturally born women would be eligible to play in their ladies' categories", but that decision has since been reversed.

"When the U-turn happened, and the announcement happened, it absolutely devastated not just me but loads of players," said a tearful Pinches in an interview with TalkTV.

"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.

"This is a category advantage, being biologically male and playing against females, gives you a clear category advantage.

"Every time I play a transgender player, I think about it before, during and after the match, about how unfair it is and how this is a level I can't reach.

"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, a lot of them are taller than us.

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

But Haynes, who transitioned from man to woman 10 years ago when aged 23, insists transgender women are "not a threat to pool".

She says she has no ill feelings towards Pinches - the sister of snooker player Barry Pinches - despite the abuse she had on social media platforms after Pinches' walk-out.

"I hope no-one has to go through what I've gone through. It was unreal," said Haynes.

"It's been a cess-pool of awfulness (on social media) - the abuse, the comments I've received. Horrific. So much of it. A lot of vile abuse.

"It made frontline headlines in America. Fox News got hold of it. I was frontpage news there - one of the New York papers.

"A lot of American people went onto that and started giving me abuse as well. It's been very hurtful.

"I was having three hours sleep just so I could check my phone and delete all my messages. It got too much, I closed down one of the accounts to make it private.

"I'm very fortunate I have amazing people around me - my fiance, my best friend, her husband, my family.

"But they (abusers) are not going to win - I'm too stubborn for that. I adore pool.

"I try coaching in my local area so it's not just about me, it's about the furtherment of the game in general - women's game, men's game, the whole totality of it."

The WEPF declined to comment on Pinches' walk-out in Prestatyn, or confirm why they had reversed their transgender policy.

But on their website in October the WEPF said: "Providing regulatory conditions are met… under section four (by laws), transgender and non-binary players will be able to participate in the women's series across World Eightball Pool Federation and Ultimate Pool Group events.

"There is no change to the regulations for the men's series and this continues to be open to all.

"World Eightball Pool Federation and Ultimate Pool Group remain committed to the development of the sport for all participants and gender inclusivity is an important part of this."

Haynes said: "They made a ruling in August that would've denied me the ability to play from January onwards.

"They've gone back on that decision.

"It's been the status quo that transgender women have played pool in a female category for 20-plus years.

"People have to understand I put a lot of time and effort into my game and that's how it's thriving.

"If the rules were changing and there was categoric evidence that I had a massive advantage over someone else, I would stop playing in female pool. That would be the end of it.

"Trans women are not a threat to pool. We're not coming over in droves… it's a very small percentage. And there's nothing to fear."