There were plenty of balls at the table at The Ultimate Pool Women’s Pro Series last night, as Harriet Haynes and Lucy Smith – both transgender women – faced off for the championship title at the women’s final event in Wigan.

Harriet Haynes and Lucy Smith found themselves in the final after besting all the other female competition, with Haynes eventually bagging the women’s championship title and a £1,800 prize.

Naturally, there’s a fair bit of backlash over this. In fact it’s been an issue in women’s pool for quite some time now, with Haynes having previously been awarded a walkover victory in the Women’s Champion of Champions final in 2023 after opponent Lynne Pinches refused to play her, citing fairness concerns.

Pinches told TalkTV at the time:

‘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.’

You may be thinking – pool! The sport that requires nothing more than two arms and eyes to play, where there is no biological advantage for men or women. As Pinches points out though, biological males do have a reach, height and power advantage, that stays with them even after they transition (Haynes transitioned into a female 10 years ago).

Haynes later revealed she faced an avalanche of abuse online, describing it as a ‘cess-pool of awfulness’ and saying:

‘It was unreal… horrific. A lot of vile abuse.’

‘Trans women are not a threat to pool. We’re not coming over in droves… there’s nothing to fear.’

Interestingly, the World Eightball Pool Federation (WEPF) and Ultimate Pool Group issued a statement back in 2023 saying ‘only naturally born women would be eligible’ to compete in the women’s series, but that ruling was later reversed, for some reason.

More recently, the English Blackball Pool Federation banned biological males from competing in women’s events, and Haynes was so taken aback that she’s now suing them (the case is scheduled to be heard this month – April 2025).

Looks like the pool federations aren’t quite sure how to balance protecting the rights of women and fairness in women’s sport while also being inclusive to transgender women. Following this latest backlash though, I think they may have to bite the bullet.

For the anti-trans MMA star who is offering to fight 10 trans men in a row, click HERE. Now that would be interesting.