When Lynne Pinches approached the pool table on Saturday night, wearing a shirt with the jokey 'Barry's sister' printed on the back, there was nothing to suggest what would follow.<br /><br />But as she shook hands with opponent Harriet Haynes - a trans woman - then refused to play, putting her handbag on her shoulder and walking off, she sent a shockwave through the sport.<br /><br />No one watching could have known Lynne had been up all night, two days in a row, crying herself to sleep after tournament organizers U-turned on transgender being allowed to play in the women's category.<br /><br />And as her family had rallied around her ahead of the English Pool Association event, it was something her son Tommy - another player - had said which prompted her to act.<br /><br />Lynne, 50, disclosed: 'The devastation I have felt, I can't even explain. I didn't eat or sleep properly for two days. I was crying until 3 am. I was devastated. My son Tommy, who plays on the Ultimate Pool Challenger Series, messaged me and said, "I know you must be devastated mum because I know that you've hated this since the beginning".<br /><br />'He wanted to write it on his Facebook but he was worried he'd get banned. And that's what pushed me over the edge, to be honest. I thought "You've silenced me for years. You're not silencing my child as well". I'm not putting up with that.<br /><br />recent years.<br /><br />She gave up drinking completely in 2020 and is now strictly teetotal.<br /><br />The mother-of-three says she has transgender friends and is only concerned with fairness in sport.<br /><br />She has played competitively for 30 years and Saturday marked the first time she had quit a game.<br /><br />Her public social media profile appears to show a life full of pets - with a dog, bird, and even an iguana featured.
