Men Only

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Much has been said in the media today about female snooker player Rebecca Kenna who has been forced to turn her back on her local snooker league after she was barred from playing for being a woman. Rebecca was stopped from playing in two matches due to some clubs in Keighley, Yorkshire,  operating a “men only” policy.

Kenna said she felt “abandoned” as a result of the policy and urged decision makers to scrap the ruling. Rebecca, who is currently number three in the women’s professional rankings has since been rebuffed by a statement from the local league, saying “there’s nothing we can do to overturn the decisions”.

Mrs Kenna who appeared on tonight’s BBC One Show, said when asked to comment by the hosts, “To be told you can’t play the sport you love because of your gender is ridiculous and it’s quite upsetting”. “ When we play (these teams), I would just have to stay at home”. She again urged the Crosshills and District League to step in.

This is not the first time such a crazy, sexist decision has been made in snooker and probably won’t be the last. The eleven times champion and friend of mine, Reanne Evans, has suffered the same sexism being refused access to a snooker hall for the same reason. Rebecca’s snooker league claim
in her case that they would lose four, male, snooker league teams if they let women play in the league.

It is hard to believe in this day and age that such sexism still exists. We must stamp out this from our sport and  give all our players, male and female, equal rights. Such decisions are degrading and have no place in today’s society. As I have reported before in a previous blog, World Snooker has attempted to address the issue of female players’ rights and conditions but this needs to be rolled out in all local leagues, providing a good playing environment for women players where they feel valued and respected.

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