Cameron Menzies has issued an apology after repeatedly punching a drinks table at the PDC World Championship on Monday afternoon.
The 36-year-old suffered a narrow 3-2 loss at the hands of newcomer Charlie Manby at Alexandra Palace, as emotions boiled over in the aftermath. Menzies, the world No. 26 and heavy favourite, swung at the table three times in frustration, leaving his hand bloodied in shocking scenes.
In a statement apologising for his actions, 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 f our days before he died and he gave a look which told he 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.”
WARNING: GRAPHIC IMAGE
It was a tense battle between Menzies and Manby, which ended in nail-biting fashion. Requiring a checkout of 84 as he stepped up to the oche in the deciding leg of the game, Menzies missed a 20 on his first dart, instead slipping in for a one.
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After missing his adjustment and landing a 17 with his second, he was spotted staring off into the distance with a puzzled look on his face, before landing a treble 20 to leave himself with a checkout of just six.
Manby found a single 16 rather than hitting the double to check out, giving Menzies a much-needed chance to make his way back into the leg. However, Menzies missed the double three with his first throw, landing a single with his second, and threw his third dart away in frustration as the room at Ally Pally started to turn tense.
(Image: Getty Images)
Manby then squandered his 16 checkout to allow Menzies one last roll of the dice with three needed, only for the Scot to land on two single ones before returning to the back of the line. Manby then hit a four, a two and a double one as the arena erupted while he sprinted across the stage in elation at his feat.
However, when Manby returned to the oche to shake Menzies’ hand, he watched on as his opponent took out his frustrations on a water table. Realising his misconduct, he then held his hand up in apology, shaking Manby’s hand and walking off the stage, looking down towards his bloodied hand.
Manby chose not to comment on the incident, staying focused on his own game. He said: “I was doing my own thing. I couldn’t tell you really.”
As a result of his win, Manby now moves into the second round of the PDC World Championship, where he will face the winner of Wednesday’s match between Matt Campbell and Adam Sevada.