By Nazmi 
Lynne Pinches received applause from a crowd after leaving her match against Harriet Haynes
A female pool final match in Denbighshire, Wales, ended prematurely after one player reportedly forfeited because she was drawn to compete against a transgender woman.
Lynne Pinches stepped away from the table to applause from spectators, who appeared to approve of her decision not to compete against Harriet Haynes.
In turn, the English Pool Association’s 2023 Champion of Champions Ladies winner was Haynes, who was pictured with the trophy on the organization’s website.
A general view taken during The Mosconi Cup between the USA and Europe held at York Hall in London. (Graham Chadwick /Allsport)
Pinches would end up smiling brightly for her runner-up picture as well.
At first, it appeared Pinches and Haynes were going to face each other, as they both hit balls to determine who would go first in the match.
When Haynes was pegged to go second, Pinches walked up to the referee and told him of her decision to walk away from the match.
A general view of the World Three-cushion Championship at Turkish Billiards Federation Facilities in Ankara, Turkiye, on Sept. 6, 2023. (Osmancan Gurdogan/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
“Yes, Lynne!” one spectator was heard saying as a loud applause came from the crowd.
Pinches was seen packing up her things, as Haynes could not believe what was happening.
Haynes has performed well this year, according to the English Pool Association site. She was the World Masters Champion, World Scotch Doubles Champion alongside Barbara Taylor, European Champion and European Team Champion in 2023.
A general view of the atmosphere at the NY Giants Justin Tuck 4th Annual celebrity billiards tournament at Slate NYC on May 31, 2012 in New York City. (Johnny Nunez/Getty Images for Tuck’s R.U.S.H. for Literacy)
Haynes was also named the National Ladies Singles Champion in 2022 and the International Pool Association World Champion the same year.
