A female pool player in Wales walked away from the final round of a championship tournament rather than compete against a man posing as a woman, and those attending the tournament immediately roared in approval at her decision.
On Sunday, a crowd of pool enthusiasts gathered at a resort in Denbighshire, Wales, about 240 miles northwest of London, for the women’s 2023 Champion of Champions tournament. In the final round, Lynne Pinches was scheduled to play against a man whose name was once reportedly Chris Haynes but who now pretends to be a woman and calls himself Harriet Haynes — or “HH” on the competitive pool circuit.
As is custom, Pinches and Haynes took lag shots to see who would go first in their match. Pinches won and briefly shook hands with Haynes. However, rather than set up to break, Pinches afterward calmly walked over to the referee and explained that she would not participate in the round. She then packed up her stuff and walked out — to thunderous applause.
The moment was captured on video and shared on social media by Reduxx:
“Yes, Lynne!” shouted one Pinches supporter as the sounds of approval from the crowd continued to grow. Haynes, who was ultimately pronounced the tournament winner, remained seated after the handshake.
The spectators all paid to witness the competition, and both Pinches and Haynes paid an entry fee of £70, roughly $87, to participate. Yet no one seems to think they didn’t get their money’s worth.
Pinches’ brother Barry claimed that the Champion of Champions was “the biggest match of [his sister’s] pool playing life,” but she chose not to participate on principle. Pinches “feels it’s so unfair to have to compete against a trans woman,” Barry added, according to the Daily Mail.
Pinches’ son Tommy indicated that Ultimate Pool Group — which organizes “Professional English Eightball Pool Events,” according to its website — may have recently flip-flopped on permitting so-called “trans” players to compete.
“Had my mum in tears a couple of weeks ago because of Ultimate Pool going back on what they said they was going to do at the end of the year with this current situation,” Tommy wrote on social media, according to the Daily Mail. “A couple of weeks later she gets to the final of the Champions of Champions and has refused to play and forfeited the match because she doesn’t believe it’s right!”
Tommy claimed that the choice to walk away cost Pinches “the title trophy” and “prize money.” In Tommy’s eyes, Pinches’ semi-final victory over the English captain was the real “final.”
The Daily Mail noted that Pinches could have opted not to appear at the final round at all, but if she had, would have been declared a no-show. By showing up and going through some of the tournament procedures, Pinches may have been sending a “message” about men competing in women’s sports, the outlet indicated.
A social media user stated that Harriet Haynes was once a mediocre pool player and began winning tournaments only after he started competing against women. While Blaze News cannot independently verify his record in men’s competitions, Haynes has had tremendous success in women’s competitions. In 2023 alone, he has won the following championships: the World Masters, World Scotch Doubles with partner Barbara Taylor, European, and European Team.
In a photo for the ladies’ 2023 Champion of Champions, Haynes held his winner’s trophy and smiled alongside a representative of the English Pool Association. Pinches also posed for a runner-up photo with the same EPA rep. Both photos are posted to the EPA’s website.
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