Darts star Cameron Menzies horrified followers with unusual act earlier than table-punching outburst
WARNING, GRAPHIC IMAGE: Cameron Menzies repeatedly punched his table after a first round defeat at the World Darts Championship but his actions beforehand were even more stunning
Cameron Menzies put out a firework with his bare hand moments before his shocking attack on a table at the World Darts Championship.
The 36-year-old Scot was caught on camera delivering three uppercuts to his table in a moment of head loss after a devastating defeat to Charlie Manby at Alexandra Palace.
Following referee Kirk Bevins’ swift intervention to escort him from the stage, blood was visibly pouring from his throwing hand. However, Menzies may have sustained injuries to his right hand even before lashing out at the table.
Just before his explosive outburst, he was seen hunched over. While the television broadcast didn’t clearly show his actions, footage captured by a fan shows Menzies placing his right hand over one of the pyrotechnics that go off at the end of a match.
Menzies kept his hand pressed against the firework for several seconds, seemingly smothering it until the flame was extinguished. Along with a bloodied and potentially fractured hand, he may also have burns to recover from before he plays again.
The player now faces the prospect of disciplinary action from the Darts Regulation Authority (DRA), though he quickly issued a public apology for his conduct, citing personal issues, including his uncle’s recent passing.
He said: “First of all, I would like to apologise for what happened. I am sorry that I reacted in the manner that I did.
“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 me a look which told me how much he thought of me. Had I won the game against Charlie, my second match would have been on the day of Gary’s funeral and that hasn’t been lost on me.
“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. 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.”
PDC chief executive Matt Porter commented: “I spoke with Cameron and his management before he left the venue, and he knows there is support available from the PDC and the PDPA [Professional Darts Players Association]. Any incident of this nature is reported to the Darts Regulation Authority for review but our main priority is the player’s health and wellbeing.”
It marks the second year running that Menzies has suffered a first-round exit at Ally Pally. He was reduced to tears both during and following his defeat to Leonard Gates 12 months ago.
