Revealed: The tragic purpose behind raging darts star’s Ally Pally meltdown which noticed him plunge his hand right into a firework and pile punches right into a desk
Darts star Cameron Menzies has admitted a recent family bereavement had taken its toll on him as he offered an apology for his outburst at the World Darts Championship.
Footage had shown Menzies seemingly trying to burn his hand on pyrotechnics before he angrily punched a table.
It followed the Scotsman, 36, being dumped out of the tournament by debutant Charlie Manby in the first round on Monday.
Manby earned a 3-2 win after a tense deciding set that went down to the wire.
Menzies has since issued an apology for his reaction to the defeat, as he revealed the recent loss of his uncle Gary had been on his mind.
Victory would have seen Menzies play a second round match on the same day as the funeral.
Footage showed Cameron Menzies seemingly trying to burn his hand before taking his anger out on a table
Menzies was left with a bleeding hand after he fired three punches into the table
‘First of all, I would like to apologise for what happened,’ Menzies said in a statement.
‘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 a look which told me 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.’
Footage shared on social media had seen Menzies leaning down to cover the on-stage pyrotechnics that had been set off to signal the celebrations for Manby.
A video shared from the crowd showed Manzies leaning down and covering the sparklers, with referee Kirk Bevins noticing before Menzies started punching the table, which left his hand covered in blood.
The Scotsman launched the furious punches after being beaten by debutant Charlie Manby
Menzies has been dumped out of the World Championship first round for two years in a row
Bivens can then be seen making his way over to the Scot, who was booed as he was ushered off stage.
Needing three to finish and secure victory, 26th seed Menzies missed with his second dart and was unable to finish on a double, leaving the door wide open for his opponent to snatch the win.
With his hands on the back of his head, Menzies watched as Manby took to the oche and hit a four, two and double-one to finish – sparking pandemonium inside Alexandra Palace.
Running down the stage in glee after the best result of his life, ‘Champagne Charlie’ returned to applaud the crowd before Menzies began laying into the underside of the table.
The 36-year-old struck the Paddy Power branded table three times, splitting his hand open in the process while Manby watched on in disbelief. He then appeared to apologise to the crowd who roundly booed the outburst.
As he walked off the stage, Menzies quickly appeared to realise the severity of his punches after looking at his blood-covered hands.
Commentating on the game for Sky Sports, former Premier League champion Glen Durrant said Menzies would regret the outburst ‘for the rest of his life’.
He said: ‘Charlie Manby is a superstar in the making. Sometimes you can build a player up at 20 years old. We thought it was going to be the match of the afternoon and it delivered.
Manby hit a four, two and double-one to finish – sparking pandemonium in Alexandra Palace
He appeared to apologise to the crowd who roundly booed the outburst as he walked off stage
‘But it wasn’t the ending we all want to see. For Cameron Menzies, I think he will regret that for the rest of his life. It was not a good watch.’
Co-commentator Stuart Pyke added: ‘I agree, an extraordinary reaction but we saw him walking off stage and he did put up his hand in apology. It was a spur-of-the-moment thing.’
Menzies could be sanctioned for the outburst under Darts Regulation Authority rules for aggressive, disruptive or abusive behaviour.
The PDC’s chief executive Matt Porter has confirmed that Menzies has been offered support following the incident.
‘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],’ Porter said.
‘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.’
Manby, who has been a breakout star on the Development Tour and is a friend of Luke Littler, clawed back from 2-1 down to secure the dramatic victory despite missing four match darts.
‘It’s a hard one,’ the 20-year-old debutant said after the match. ‘It’s a bit overwhelming but it felt absolutely amazing out there.
‘I think the game was a great pace and a good standard and everyone else enjoyed it. It’s good to have the crowd on your side on your debut as well.’
His victory over Menzies means it is the second year running that the Scotsman has been beaten in the first round.
Menzies broke down in tears following last year’s defeat to Leonard Gates, but later revealed that his father had been ill in hospital at the time.
