"Made me feel like a true winner" - Pool player Lynne Pinches on heartwarming gesture after forfeiting tournament final
Pool player Lynne Pinches recently received a heart-warming gesture from her pool club. On November 15, the veteran made headlines after she walked out of a pool game finale reportedly after finding out that her opponent was a trans woman.
Pinches was the finalist at the English Pool Association’s 2023 Champion of Champions Ladies event at Denbighshire, Wales, with her opponent being Harriet Haynes.
However, after taking the lag shot Pinches left the arena. She shook hands with Haynes and the referee, packed her cue, and exited the game. Noticing Pinches’s gesture, her opponent also raised her hands in disbelief.
Pinches took a stand for making female players compete in the same gender. This received huge appreciation from her fans on the internet and her club, the Pinches Cue Club also recognized her gesture, appreciating her with a trophy.
She shared the video on her X (previously known as Twitter) handles and expressed:
"I was overwhelmed yesterday when I walked into the club to be presented by the local players with a winners trophy, cash, flowers, and a card. Although I didn't win, and for me, it's about fairness, this wonderful gesture made me feel like a true winner."
Lynne Pinches’s brother Barry Pinches applaused her
While Lynne Pinches made headlines for her gesture at the 2023 Champion of Champions Ladies event, her brother Barry Pinches also penned a supportive note for her.
A report by Daily Mail shared Barry’s Facebook post where he wrote:
“Full credit and great respect to my sister Lynne Pinches yesterday for taking a stand and not playing in the biggest match of her pool playing life because she feels it’s so unfair to have to compete against a trans woman”
Furthermore, Barry wrote that he agreed with his sister’s views and that it was “totally unfair” to make women compete against trans-woman in pool or any other sport.
Her brother also clarified that the post was only based on bringing fairness in women’s sports and had nothing to do with the trans community.
“For the record, this post is about fairness in women’s sport, that is all. I have no problem whatsoever if somebody wants to identify themselves as whatever they want to be and I have nothing against Harriet Haynes,”
Moreover, as the incident sparked discussions on several platforms, ex-swimmer Sharron Davies shared her views with Daily Mail. She said that gender rules around the pool were affecting the mental health of female sportswomen as they are reportedly being told by sports federations that “their right to fair sport just doesn't matter.”