Controversy. Accusation and counter-accusation. A dramatic strike. A high-profile player who withdraws in protest. This week saw another women's sport plunged into confusion and division over the inclusion of transgender participants.
Admittedly, few of us had ever even heard of the professional women's pool league. But with two of Norwich's leading exponents publicly refusing to play against trans women, this hitherto unsung game was unexpectedly exposed to the full glare of the media.
"It's important to understand that this is not an attack on anyone, this is a defense," said Alexandra Cunha, fifth in the world in the English group and 14-time national champion. "Here I am defending what I know is fair, and it is absolutely not fair to allow biological males to play in the women's league."
We meet in her neat modern townhouse on the edge of town, where a pool table takes pride of place in the open-plan living room and a generous handful of shiny trophies spread across three shelves.
The remaining 200, acquired during her 32-year career, are in her sister's home in Cunha's native Portugal. When she's not training with weights at the gym five times a week, or meeting other players in the billiards room, it's here that Cunha, a divorced driving instructor, hones her technique.
"Swimming pools are everything to me," she says. "I fell in love with it at the age of 17 in Lisbon and spent decades fighting men to be able to play against other women on a level playing field. Now I feel like I have to fight again.
'But this isn't about me, it's not even about the pool. It's about how women's sports are under siege by transgender players who were born male and have all the advantages that allow them to dominate biological women."
Cunha, who is only 6 feet tall, is smart, has a degree in educational sciences and has a sharp sense of humor. She describes herself as a 'feisty Latina'. She has lived in Britain for eleven years, but remains captain of the Portuguese women's team.
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"When I was a teenager, I had no money to play, so I sat on a chair all day and watched for hours. When I did pick up a signal, the men would yell at me that I was not welcome and that I should go home and do some laundry," she remembers.
"Within five years I could beat them all. I still play men, but in open categories. I will not play against anyone who has an Adam's apple in the female category."
Women's pool is just the latest sport to find itself in trouble due to a militant transgender lobby that has pushed for players who are biologically male to compete against women on the grounds that they "identify" as women.
The controversy began on October 24 when the sport's international governing body, the World Eightball Pool Federation (WEPF), changed the rules on the participation of trans players in female tournaments.
Initially, in August, as more and more trans players signed up to play in women's tournaments, the WEPF had issued a joint statement with its main sponsor, the Ultimate Pool Group, stating that "these events will be open only to individuals born female . ".
But just eight weeks later, there was a shocking reversal of this decision, which some female players said was made under pressure from legal threats from transgender competitors. The WEPF and Ultimate Pool have released an update on "competition eligibility for transgender and non-binary players," stating that there would be no discrimination on the basis of gender identity and that they would implement a gender "self-identification policy" for competitors , while reserving the right to test players' testosterone levels.
Within a week of this announcement, more than 60 professional female pool players joined forces via a WhatsApp support group to oppose the change. And in Norwich, Cunha - a big name in the sport - immediately contacted the Ultimate Pool Group to say she would not play against anyone born male in the women's competition and would instead remain in her seat.
"I naively thought they would talk to me - instead all I got was a request for my bank details so they could refund my 2024 compensation," she says. "It was shocking. I felt angry but also sad that things had come to this in the sport I love."
After Cunha announced her stance, her close friend Lynne Pinches, 50, sister of established snooker player Barry Pinches, vowed to do the same. Coincidentally, two weeks ago she drew against Harriet Haynes, a hugely successful transgender player, in the final of the national Ladies Champion of Champions tournament in Denbighshire, Wales.
Pinches, who also lives in Norwich, refused to play and instead shook hands with Haynes and walked out of the crowded playing hall, forfeiting the match. She cried all night. The story went global.
"I am so proud of Lynne," says Cunha. "She's not as highly ranked as me and it was only her fourth final ever, so it was a huge sacrifice, but we all believe it was worth it. Some principles are worth more than money, titles or trophies."
For her part, Haynes issued a statement through her lawyers pointing out that billiards, billiards and snooker are classified as "precision sports" by the International Olympic Committee and are therefore not influenced by gender. This weekend has shown that bigotry is alive and well and misinformation about the situation is rife."
According to Cunha, there is a major misunderstanding about the "multiple" advantages that male-born players retain. She openly admits that she herself had no idea of the huge difference until she saw trans players in the women's league.
"At first I thought it was no big deal, but then when you see the superior strength, muscle and muscle memory, the difference becomes apparent," she says. "Players born male have longer arms and a longer reach; in 32 years i have never seen a biological female with anything like the strength and speed when it comes to the breakaway shot.
"When you reach a certain level of play, the way you break is the key to success. Biological women also have other issues that affect us; hormonal fluctuations and menopause have a tangible impact, but that's okay when you're competing with your peers. We laugh about it. Trans players don't face any of these barriers."
Former Olympic swimmer Sharron Davies is among those who have criticized the way sporting organizations have acquiesced - some would say crumbled - in the face of stiff demands for trans women to compete in female categories.
She has labeled the decision to allow trans players to play in women's pool matches as 'heartbreaking'. "Pool is a male-dominated sport, like so many others, and these women have worked hard to get their own tour," she said.
"These organizations know that their play is sex-influenced. They know that women need their own tournaments to increase women's participation and opportunities. They must show courage and decency and stand up for women."
But both courage and decency have become a hotly contested battlefield. Time and time again, Cunha repeats that she has nothing but empathy and admiration for those born male or female who feel like they have to go through a transition in order to live a happy life. But she does not accept trans players participating in women-only tournaments.
"We need to resolve this fairly and clearly," she said. "This is not going away and we urgently need a common sense approach. I'm so happy that Sharron Davies is supporting us. I haven't spoken to her yet, but I hope to do so in the future.
"I'm not for a moment suggesting that trans women play with the men. We need a new category, whether it is mixed, open, or renamed."
Although Cunha, Pinches and no doubt other female players will not be playing in the Ultimate Pool League next year, their rival, the International Pool Association, has intervened.
After being contacted by Cunha to inform her that it would be creating a new Transgender section for transgender players in 2024 "and beyond," it has now confirmed this on its website.
"I am relieved and happy that female players can now play on a fair field," said Cunha. "But why do women have to fight again and again in every sport to secure their own rights?
"Since this all blew up, do you know how much abuse I've had on social media? No. After Lynne walked away from the table, people congratulated her. Every time we set foot in the billiard room, we receive support. That should tell governing bodies around the world everything they need to know about public opinion."
