Scottish darts player Cameron Menzies left the stage of the World Darts Championship with his hand covered in blood after repeatedly punching the on-stage table in fury.
Having missed two darts at double one to take his first-round match against debutant Charlie Manby to a tie-break, Menzies delivered three fierceuppercuts to the table.
Menzies, the 26th seed, cried after losing his first-round match last year against Leonard Gates and was again on the receiving end of abuse from a raucous crowd at Alexandra Palace.
He was left with three to draw level at 2-2 in the deciding fifth set and, after seeming to think he had bust his score by hitting single 18, he then missed two chances at double one.
Manby then stepped up to hit double one himself and clinch a 3-2 win. Menzies had his head in his hands after missing the darts at double one and then, as Manby came to shake his hand, unleashed an extraordinary sequence of punches that also cleared the table of a water bottle.
He then gave Mandy a brief hug before holding up his bleeding hand to the crowd. Menzies, who reached the quarter-final stage of the World Grand Prix in October, is facing disciplinary action for his outburst, which could result in a fine or a ban. The Professional Darts Corporation, however, will surely also be mindful of Menzies’ well-documented challenges with anxiety.
Cameron Menzies of Scotland walks off the stage with a deep cut sustained on his right fist after punching the drinks stand in anger at the World Darts Championship. Photo / Getty Images
Menzies offered a swift apology and revealed that he had been grieving his uncle, whose funeral was due to be held on the same date as his second-round match would have been played.
“I am sorry that I reacted in the manner that I did,” Menzies said. “It’s not an excuse, but I have had a lot of things on my mind recently and I suppose it all just became too much at the end.
“It has not been an easy time for me with my uncle Gary passing away recently. I saw him four days before he died and he gave a look which told how much he thought of me. He treated me like a son.
“Had I won the game against Charlie, my second match would have been on the day of Gary’s funeral and that has not been lost on me in recent days.
“Let me say again, that’s no excuse for what I did on the stage. It was the wrong thing to do and I don’t want it to take anything away from Charlie. He played well and deserved his win.
“This is not how I would like people to view me. Yes I can get emotional at times, but not like that and that wasn’t right.”
After losing last year to Gates last year, he said: “I got a lot of s*** and a lot of badness. The most important person in my life was going through a bad time and I was getting a lot of abuse for it.
“I just wanted to be more chilled these days because I don’t like the way that I am. The Worlds [Championship] hurt a lot.
“I struggle with anxiety. That’s why when you watch me talk, I look away all the time – I don’t like giving eye contact. There are things people have asked me to get checked. I’m hoping to get it sorted because I am a nervous wreck.”
