![\"Someone](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/cricket.jpg\")
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An anonymous trans woman was told she isn\u2019t allowed to play cricket for fun. (Getty)<\/p>\n
A trans amateur cricketer says she is \u201cheartbroken\u201d after being abruptly kicked out of her local club by England\u2019s cricketing regulator.<\/p>\n
Trans woman Lily was reportedly told by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) that she was no longer allowed to participate in the amateur cricketing club, which plays the sport entirely for fun, following updates to their inclusion policies.<\/a><\/p>\n The cricketing regulator rushed through a blanket ban on trans women playing women\u2019s cricket in May last year after the Supreme Court ruled the definition of a woman in the Equality Act referred to \u201cbiological sex\u201d only.<\/p>\n The hobbyist, whose name has been changed to protect her anonymity, said she was then immediately barred from the local club, where she had served as captain, coached junior teams, and won several awards.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen I heard the news, I was completely heartbroken \u2013 as were my friends, teammates, and opponents,\u201d she told Good Law Project. \u201cIt was so upsetting to be ripped away from playing for the team I\u2019d been part of for so long.\u201d<\/p>\n Lily said her fellow club members became concerned after she suddenly stopped playing in the middle of a non-competitive season, given that she wasn\u2019t ill and had regularly attended matches for several years without issue.<\/p>\n Before she had a moment to cope with the news, Lily says she was forced to consider outing herself to her concerned teammates, some of whom don\u2019t know she is transgender.<\/p>\n \u201cComing out is always a risk, and it felt like I was being forced to come out to people I hadn\u2019t felt the need to previously. It made me feel guilty and ashamed even though I hadn\u2019t done anything wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n Regulators across the globe have begun implementing trans-exclusionary policies as a result of misinformation which claims that trans women have an inherent competitive advantage against cisgender women in sports, which they do not.<\/a><\/p>\n While most apply to non-amateur groups, this is one of the first public cases where a trans woman has been ejected from a non-competitive sporting group over a sports regulator\u2019s trans-exclusive policies.<\/p>\n Good Law Project has vowed to sue the ECB on behalf of Lily for discrimination under the 2010 Equality Act, arguing that excluding them is a \u201cstain on women\u2019s sport\u201d.<\/p>\n Several players within ECB clubs have spoken out against the regulator\u2019s ban. A source which is \u2018heavily involved\u2019 in women\u2019s cricket told Good Law Project that the \u201coverwhelming majority\u201d did not have an issue with playing against a trans woman.<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019re sad the ruling happened,\u201d the source says. \u201cI feel like the women\u2019s game is worse as a result.\u201d<\/p>\n Club organisers themselves haven\u2019t forced trans competitors to step down, though several trans players have done so to avoid personal scrutiny or to avoid legal issues.<\/p>\n Good Law Project is calling on members of the UK public to email the ECB urging officials to scrap its ban on trans athletes. So far, over 1,700 emails have been sent through Good Law Project\u2019s submission page.<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cA ban doesn\u2019t just risk isolating trans people \u2013 it risks outing them. How are they supposed to explain to their teams why they suddenly can\u2019t play,\u201d a spokesperson says. \u201cTrans people shouldn\u2019t be at risk just because they want to play sport with their friends.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Cricket-.jpg\")
A Cricket bat and ball. (Canva) <\/p>\n