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.
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.
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.
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.
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".
'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.
recent years.
She gave up drinking completely in 2020 and is now strictly teetotal.
The mother-of-three says she has transgender friends and is only concerned with fairness in sport.
She has played competitively for 30 years and Saturday marked the first time she had quit a game.
Her public social media profile appears to show a life full of pets - with a dog, bird, and even an iguana featured.
