Mersey Rose Recreationals CC has slammed the England & Wales Cricket Board for its “cowardly” decision to ban transgender women from all levels of women’s cricket.

The ECB ruling comes into immediate effect and follows a Supreme Court ruling last month which said the legal definition of a woman is based on “biological sex”.

It comes less than a year after the body’s previous ruling, which banned trans women from the elite levels of the women’s game but allowed them to play in the grassroots game.

Mersey Rose was founded in November 2023 by former Rainhill player Andi Page with the ethos of offering a home to those discriminated against elsewhere.

A club statement said: “Everyone at Mersey Rose Recreationals is deeply disappointed by the decision.”

It added: “For some time, the ECB has had well-considered and stringent policies in relation to the inclusion of transgender women in cricket. 

“These policies were tried, tested and worked. 

“Adoption of a sensible disparity policy prevented situations in which players’ safety could be compromised. 

“Transgender women were able to play in women’s cricket without adverse incident, with many clubs and players welcoming moves that allowed transgender women to participate fully in cricket and make positive contributions to the game.

“There is no scientific evidence to suggest that the ECB’s previous policy endangered player safety. 

“Neither was there any evidence that ECB-affiliated clubs or their members were opposed to the policy.”

The ECB said: “Our regulations for recreational cricket have always aimed at ensuring that cricket remains as inclusive a sport as possible. 

“These included measures to manage disparities, irrespective of someone’s gender, and safeguard the enjoyment of all players. 

“However, given the new advice received about the impact of the Supreme Court ruling, we believe the changes announced today are necessary.” 

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But Mersey Rose blasted the board for falling back on the court ruling, saying: “This attempt to absolve itself of responsibility for its own discriminatory actions is cowardly and disingenuous.

“This decision is a knee-jerk response by the ECB, and one that will have wider consequences. 

“Our own club is no stranger to transphobic abuse, and decisions like this will only serve to embolden transphobia and intolerance.”

The ECB adds it will work with recreational cricket boards to support people impacted by the ban. 

It says trans women and girls can continue to play open and mixed cricket – as many cisgender women have been doing, without causing problems, for decades.

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In a document sent out to accompany its statement, the ECB added: “Our updated regulations have eligibility based on biological sex, regardless of gender identity.

“This means that transgender men and non-binary people assigned female at birth are eligible play in women’s cricket.”

The number of transgender women registered on women’s cricket teams across the country is not known. After a similar ruling from the Football Association on Thursday, it was widely reported that as few as 20 trans women footballers were currently active.

It is not immediately clear how cricket clubs, run by hard-pressed volunteers, are supposed to ascertain the gender identity of all of the players in their women’s sections.