Cameron Menzies has apologized after hitting the drinks table in anger after losing in five sets to highly rated Charlie Manby in the first round of the PDC World Championships.
The 26th seed from Scotland hit the bottom of the table three times before raising his hands to apologize to the Alexandra Palace crowd as he left the stage.
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Menzies, 36, was photographed bleeding from a cut on his right hand.
He led 1-0 and 2-1 in both sets, but Manby, a 20-year-old British rookie, fought back to seal victory with his seventh match dart.
Menzies said in a statement after the game: “First of all, I would like to apologize for what happened. I’m sorry for my reaction.
“It’s not an excuse but I’ve had a lot going on in my head lately and I guess it all became too much in the end.
“It wasn’t easy for me as my uncle Gary passed away recently. I saw him four days before he died and he looked at me and told me how much he missed me.
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“It’s not lost on me that if I win Charlie’s fight my second fight will be on the day of Gary’s funeral.
“Let me say it again, this is no excuse for what I did on stage. It was the wrong thing to do and I don’t want it to take anything away from Charlie. He played well.
“I don’t want people to see me like that. Yes, I get emotional sometimes, but not like that, that’s not right.”
This is the second year in a row that Menzies has been eliminated in the first round, having broken down in tears during and after his loss to Leonard Gates last December.
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Menzies later revealed that his father, Ricky, was ill and hospitalized at the time.
Menzies was taken off stage by referee after punching drinks table [Getty Images]
Menzies raised his hands and apologized to the crowd as he left the stage [Getty Images]
Players may be sanctioned by the Darts Regulatory Authority Rules for offensive, disruptive or abusive behaviour.
Commenting on the subsequent game for Sky Sports, former Premier League champion Glenn Durant said: “Charlie Manby is a superstar in the making. Sometimes you can develop a player at 20 years old. We thought this would be the game of the afternoon and it happened.”
“But it’s not the ending we all wanted to see. For Cameron Menzies, I think he’s going to regret it for the rest of his life. It’s not a good watch.”
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Co-commentator Stuart Pike added: “I agree, [it was] It was an unusual reaction, but we saw him walk off the stage and he did put his hands up and apologize. It was an impulsive thing. “
Former champion Wright passes safely
Also on Monday afternoon, two-time champion Peter Wright defeated Noa-Lynn van Leuven in straight sets to advance to the second round.
The 55-year-old Scot, dressed in holiday-themed attire, shot 152 in the first set and reached the decider in the second before easily sealing victory in the third.
Wright, who will face German Arnold Merck in the second round, told Sky Sports: “I know I didn’t play well but I will play well in the next round. You have to grow in the game.”
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Wright, the 2020 and 2022 champion, has been in poor form recently, causing the PDC world ranking to slip to 30th.
He reached the quarter-finals last year, ending Luke Humphries’ title defense on his way to the quarter-finals before losing to Stephen Bunting.
Peter Wright hit 9 of 16 doubles shots in first-round win [PA Media]
Van Leeuwen became the first transgender athlete to compete at the PDC World Championships last year and is one of five players to have been awarded a place in the women’s series at the event at Alexandra Palace.
Beau Greaves, who tops the series and opens up against Daryl Gurney on Friday, is looking to become the second female to win a match at the tournament, following qualifier Fallon Sherrock, who won the event twice in December 2019.
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The series has three spots on offer, including one for the Women’s Match Play Championship – a title held by Lisa Ashton, who lost to 2023 world champion Michael Smith in the first round on Thursday.
Greaves finished second on the Development Tour in her own right, meaning Women’s Series runners-up Sherlock and Van Leeuwen finished fourth, while fifth-placed Gemma Hayter joined third-placed Ashton.
Northern Ireland’s Brendan Dolan shot a break of 170 to seal the second set with a 3-1 victory over England’s Tavis Dudeney, while Austria’s Mensur Suljovic defeated Canada’s David Cameron by the same score.
Monday results and timetable
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Brandon Dolan 3-1 Tavis Dewdney
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Cameron Menzies 2-3 Charlie Manby
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Mensur Sujovic 3-1 David Cameron
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Peter Wright 3-0 Noah-Lynn van Leuven
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From 19:00 GMT
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Martin Lookman v Max Hope
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Dirk van Duivenbod v Andy Bertens
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Jonny Clayton v Adam Lipscomb
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Connor Scatter v Simon Whitlock
