A WOMAN club secretary from York says she is "disappointed and frustrated" at losing her appeal for sex discrimination against the social club network.

Jackie Medley, secretary of Bishopthorpe Social Club, lost her appeal for sex discrimination against the Club & Institute Union Ltd (CIU), the UK's biggest network of working men's clubs.

Mrs Medley had hoped to overturn the ban on women becoming associate members of the CIU network. She said the only hope now lay with a CIU vote at its annual conference in April which could see the ban overturned.

Mrs Medley said: "We are not trying to stop men-only clubs. We are trying to say where clubs have full membership for women they should have the same rights as everyone else."

The ban on women becoming associate members means that Mrs Medley has to be "signed in" every time she goes to a meeting in another club.

She cannot stand for election to the local branch committee or national executive, and cannot take part in CIU-sponsored games or events.

She said: "You go to any club. Women play a vital role, they sell tickets, they work behind the bar, they are the workers.

"We are not trying to take over, we want to be able to represent clubs in the CIU. They say clubs are in decline. There are two ways to fight that - the women, and the youth."

Mr Justice Burton, sitting at the Employment Appeals Tribunal in central London, said the law was narrowly constructed and that Mrs Medley's appeal must fail, But he added: "I hope that this is not the end of the story.

"We expect and hope that it (the CIU vote) will be carried through and it will then render any further concerns on the part of Mrs Medley and many people like her in these circumstances."

A two-thirds majority is needed at the annual conference for the rule to be scrapped.

A majority of 61 per cent voted in favour last year and the 66 per cent per cent majority could be reached at the next meeting.

The CIU maintained it was not in breach of the Sex Discrimination Act because private members' clubs were excluded from the legislation.

Updated: 10:33 Thursday, March 11, 2004