Darts ace collapses with head in palms after improper double as commentator surprised
Cameron Menzies and Mike De Decker were already making hard work of their last-leg decider in Gottingen by the time a lapse in concentration from Menzies stunned everyone in attendance
Cameron Menzies was left gobsmacked after a jaw-dropping blunder at the European Darts Trophy.
The Scottish thrower and Mike De Decker were already slogging it out in their nail-biting last-leg decider in Gottingen when Menzies’ brain fade left the crowd in shock.
Menzies was on fire, almost pulling off a 138 checkout with two treble 20s under his belt. But then, disaster struck as he fluffed three shots at double nine, leaving him clutching his head, convinced he’d thrown the match away with De Decker only needing 28.
But the drama didn’t end there – De Decker stepped up, hit the big 14 but botched his double seven attempts, tossing the baton back to Menzies.
In a twist that no one saw coming, Menzies seemed to get his wires crossed, aiming for six and double four, mistakenly taking out De Decker’s 14 instead of the 18 he needed.
Realising his mistake, Menzies collapsed to the floor next to the oche, face down, hands over his face in disbelief.
PDC TV’s Paul Nicholson couldn’t believe his eyes, exclaiming: “What’s he doing? What have you done, Cameron! It was six, double six, you know that on 18!
“And De Decker is just a viewer of the drama that’s happening. He’s looked at De Decker’s score and thought ‘I’ve got that’, and he hasn’t,” reports the Express.
“European Tour heritage,” one fan joked. While a second said: “Words fail us in describing the opening game of the day in Gottingen…Cameron Menzies secured his spot in the quarter-finals with an extraordinary deciding-leg triumph over Mike De Decker!”
It took Menzies a while to regain his composure, as De Decker then had the opportunity to wrap up their third-round duel with another three attempts at double seven.
However, the drama didn’t end there. De Decker missed his first dart outside and his second inside, making a finish unattainable with his last try.
After having a shot at the match with his 12th dart of the leg, Menzies finally succeeded with his 19th, taking out double two on his first go. He then turned around, shook hands with De Decker and raised a hand in apology to the spectators.
De Decker hastily exited the stage after squandering a golden chance to progress.
“Have you ever seen anything like that on that European Tour?” Nicholson wrapped up. “Cameron Menzies with a miscount to win the match! He then fell to the floor, face down in Ricardo Pietreczko style, and yet, Mike De Decker gave him more opportunities.”
