Pool Competition Ends With Trans-On-Trans Final After Two Men Beat All The Women

Two trans-identifying individuals — men who identify as women — faced off against each other in a women’s pool championship match over the weekend.

Harriet Haynes and Lucy Smith made it to the final showdown for the championship title at the Ultimate Pool Women’s Pro Series Event 2 on Sunday in Wigan in the United Kingdom. Haynes went on to defeat Smith 8-6. Each beat out four female opponents to secure their spots in the finals.

Former U.S. college swimmer Riley Gaines, who rose to national prominence by taking a stand against men infiltrating women’s sports, reacted to the story by saying, “A real life South Park episode.”

A real life South Park episode https://t.co/xOSNt945uJ

— Riley Gaines (@Riley_Gaines_) April 6, 2025

Haynes has not yet publicly commented on this event, but in December, he told The Independent that pool “isn’t a gender-affected sport,” claiming as a biological male he had “no advantage.”

“We’re not talking about boxing or golf—we’re talking about pool,” Haynes said at the time.

Some factors which critics say can affect a woman’s ability to compete against a man in pool include a man’s greater upper body strength, greater height, larger hand size, and longer reach. Professional level pool competitions are generally split between men and women.

Per The Telegraph, competitive pool player Lynne Pinches was allegedly asked to leave this year’s competition where she was observing as a spectator. She stated that Haynes’ romantic partner complained she was there and had her thrown out.

Pinches dropped out of the Women’s Champion of Champions final against Haynes in 2023, which led to Haynes winning the event.

Pinches discussed the disadvantage female athletes have competing against trans-identifying men during a conversation with TalkTV. She said, “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.”

She continued, “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 [trans women] have a longer reach and a lot of them are taller than us.”

“Women have been silenced because of fear of being transphobic,” Pinches added. “That is why people don’t speak out about this subject. It’s not a gender issue. This is a fairness issue.”