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On the surface, this year\u2019s Women\u2019s Golf Croquet Championship seemed the least likely setting for a scandal. And yet behind the scenes, a fierce row was simmering over the fact that the most prestigious female prize in the sport was won by a biological male.<\/p>\n
It is the first known case anywhere of a women\u2019s global title being awarded to somebody born male. Australia\u2019s Jamie Gumbrell, who was competing as a male as recently as 2019, is recognised by the World Croquet Federation (WCF) as having been \u201cassigned male at birth\u201d. But when the sport returned from its pandemic-enforced shutdown, the 23-year-old from Canberra began identifying as female and in August became the women\u2019s world champion at the first attempt.<\/p>\n
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Canberra-born world champion Jamie Gumbrell.<\/span><\/p>\n This masthead has spoken to several of Gumbrell\u2019s fellow competitors, all of whom are furious about the unquestioning gender policy that enabled the Australian to self-identify into the female category and beat England\u2019s Rachel Gee, the 2011 champion, in this year\u2019s final. Sue Lightbody, a member of the England team at the worlds, said women had no idea they would be playing against a biological male until they arrived at the tournament in Southwick, near Brighton.<\/p>\n \u201cThere was a huge amount of disquiet,\u201d Lightbody said. \u201cBut nobody was prepared to say or do anything. I was quite sick about the situation. We thought it would go against us, that we wouldn\u2019t be picked for another team. Everything was hush-hush, everyone was worried about being called transphobic. People told me not to get involved, saying, \u2018Don\u2019t do anything, you\u2019ll make yourself very unpopular\u2019. But this just shouldn\u2019t happen. It fundamentally isn\u2019t fair.\u201d<\/p>\n Croquet\u2019s gender policy is essentially one of pure self-ID, allowing players to compete according to the \u201cgender identity that they persistently and consistently use\u201d. Ian Burridge, president of the WCF, said: \u201cThe fact that Jamie was assigned male at birth is not disputed by anyone. Jamie now identifies as female as her entry into the world championships was determined in accordance with our policy, approved by our members in April 2022. We welcome feedback, given the concerns that exist around speaking out in this area.\u201d<\/p>\n Leading female players argue that Gumbrell, having gone through male puberty, carries immutable physiological advantages in golf croquet. Unlike association croquet, the sport incorporates elements of strength and stamina.<\/p>\n \u201cA key shot in golf croquet is the jump shot,\u201d Lightbody explained.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you\u2019re on the boundary, you can jump over a couple of balls and get through a hoop. I can only do mid-jumps, I can\u2019t do one from the baseline. But Jamie can. That is a huge advantage over a woman.\u201d<\/p>\n Another female international involved at the worlds, who asked to remain anonymous, said: \u201cIt\u2019s not just jump shots. To hit a ball that weighs 500 grams 20 metres, I have to use 80 per cent of my strength. The more strength you use, the more precision you lose. Endurance is also a factor. But in a sense, the \u2018why\u2019 is not so important. The world rankings, where only 12 of the top 100 players are women, prove that there is a difference.<\/p>\n Physical strength plays a larger role in golf croquet than the traditional game.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>Istock<\/cite><\/p>\n \u201cWe never thought we would have this problem. I really felt sorry in the final for Rachel, who at the end was hiding behind her sunglasses because she was crying. She didn\u2019t complain. She had been training so hard to be the women\u2019s world champion, and then someone born male comes and takes it away.\u201d<\/p>\n Gumbrell is recorded as having taken part in numerous croquet competitions in Australia as a male, receiving an award in 2019 from the Victorian association for a video promoting the sport to a younger demographic. \u201cJamie is an up-and-coming croquet player \u2013 he has just come third in the prestigious President\u2019s Eights,\u201d the citation read. \u201cHe will be competing in the Under-21 and World Open Golf Croquet Championships in England.\u201d<\/p>\n It was post-COVID, when Gumbrell switched identity to female, that everything changed. A source in Australia said: \u201cWhat I know is that since playing women\u2019s events, Jamie has won them all: women\u2019s worlds, Australian women\u2019s singles twice, New South Wales women\u2019s singles. Recently, in our team event representing New South Wales as their No.1 woman, Jamie was undefeated in the five-day event. None of the other No.1 women players were undefeated. Perhaps those results tell the story.\u201d<\/p>\n By the time Gumbrell arrived at the world championships, as one of 56 competitors from 16 countries, the switch from male to female was an open secret within the game. At several points during the event\u2019s official YouTube stream of Gumbrell\u2019s first match against Louise Smith of England, the commentator inadvertently referred to the player as \u201che\u201d.<\/p>\n With women in croquet finally prepared to speak out, there is now pressure on the WCF to institute a policy that supports the integrity and fairness of women\u2019s events. Fiona McAnena, director of sport at Fair Play for Women, said: \u201cThere are only a few women-only tournaments in croquet. Something has gone wrong when the women\u2019s world champion is male. This isn\u2019t about inclusion, it\u2019s about validation \u2013 at women\u2019s expense.\u201d<\/p>\n Neither Gumbrell nor Croquet Australia responded to requests for comment.<\/p>\nLosing finalist \u2018was hiding behind her sunglasses because she was crying\u2019<\/h3>\n
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