On the surface, this year’s Women’s Golf Croquet Championship on the Sussex coast seemed the least likely setting for a scandal. Befitting the game’s image as the most genteel of British summer events, Dame Mary Berry, a keen gamer herself, was the guest of honor at the opening ceremony, where she received a cake decorated in the shape of a croquet lawn. But behind the scenes, a fierce debate was brewing over the fact that the most prestigious women’s award in sports was won by a biological man.
This is the first known case globally where the female title was given to someone born male. Australian Jamie Gumbrell, who competed as a man as recently as 2019, is recognized by the World Croquet Federation (WCF) as “assigned male at birth”. But when the sport returned after being shut down due to the pandemic, the 23-year-old from Canberra began to identify as a woman and became the women’s world champion at the first attempt in August.
Telegraph Sport spoke to several of Gumbrell’s rivals; All are angry at the unquestioning gender politics that enabled the Australian athlete to insert herself into the women’s category and beat 2011 champion England’s Rachel Gee in this year’s final. Sue Lightbody, a member of the England team at worlds, said the women had no idea they would be playing against a biological male until they arrived at the tournament at Southwick, near Brighton.
“There was a lot of unrest,” Lightbody said. “But no one was ready to say or do anything. I was quite uncomfortable with this situation. We thought that this would be against us and that we would not be selected for another team. Everything was quiet, everyone was worried about being called transphobic. People told me not to get involved, saying, ‘Don’t do anything, you’ll make yourself very unlikable.’ But this shouldn’t happen. “This is fundamentally unfair.”
Croquet’s gender policy is essentially a pure self-identity policy, allowing players to compete based on “the gender identity they persistently and consistently use.” WCF chairman Ian Burridge said: “No one disputes the fact that Jamie was assigned male at birth. Jamie now identifies as female as her entry to the world championships has been determined in accordance with our policy, which was approved by our members in April 2022. “Given the current concerns about speaking out in this area, we welcome feedback.”
Prominent female players argue that Gumbrell, who experiences male puberty, carries immutable physiological advantages in golf croquet. Unlike association croquet, the sport involves elements of strength and endurance. “The most important shot in golf croquet is the bounce shot,” Lightbody explained. “If you’re on the edge, you can jump over a few balls and go through the hoop. I can only do intermediate jumps, not from the baseline. But Jamie can. “This is a huge advantage for a woman.”
Losing finalist ‘was hiding behind sunglasses because she was crying’
Another international woman, who wished to remain anonymous, said: “It’s not just about the leap. I need to use 80 percent of my strength to hit a ball weighing 500 grams 20 meters. The more power you use, the more sensitivity you lose. Durability is also a factor. But in a way, the ‘why’ isn’t that important. The world rankings, where only 12 of the top 100 players are women, prove there is a difference.
“We never thought we’d have this problem. I felt really sorry for Rachel, who hid behind her sunglasses because she was crying in the final. She didn’t complain. She was working hard to become the women’s world champion, but then someone born male came along and took that away from her.”
It was noted that Gumbrell participated in numerous croquet competitions as a man in Australia and received an award from the Victorian association in 2019 for a video that introduced the sport to a younger demographic. “Jamie is a promising croquet player; he finished third in the prestigious President’s Eights,” the quote said. “He will be competing in the Under 21 and World Open Golf Croquet Championships in England.”
Everything changed in the post-Covid era when Gumbrell changed her identity to female. A source in Australia said: “As far as I know Jamie has won them all since she has played the women’s events: the women’s world, the Australian women’s singles twice, the New South Wales women’s singles. Most recently in our team event representing New South Wales as the #1 female Jamie went unbeaten in the five day event. None of the other No. 1 women’s players are undefeated. “Maybe these results tell the story.”
When Gumbrell reached the world championships as one of 56 competitors from 16 countries, the transition from male to female was an open secret within the game. At several points in the event’s official YouTube broadcast of Gumbrell’s debut against England’s Louise Smith, the commentator mistakenly referred to the player as “she”.
With women in croquet finally ready to speak out, there is now pressure on the WCF to create a policy that promotes the integrity and fairness of women’s events. Fiona McAnena, sports director of Fair Play for Women, said: “There are very few women-only tournaments in croquet. Something went wrong when the women’s world champion became a man. “This is not about participation, it is about validation at the expense of women.”
Neither Gumbrell nor Croquet Australia responded to requests for comment.