Menzies issues apology for punching drinks table after Manby loss
Cameron Menzies has apologised for an intense outburst which saw the darts star badly damage his hand punching a drinks table following a 3-2 defeat to Charlie Manby at the 2026 PDC World Championship.
Menzies, who had led a pulsating contest 2-1 in sets before an impressive comeback from his 20-year-old opponent, suffered a complete moment of headloss after the final dart which eventually saw him ordered to leave the stage by referee Kirk Bevins.
First, the 36-year-old placed his hand over the heated stage pyrotechnics for a few seconds, before unleashing three uppercuts onto one of the on-stage drinks tables – leaving his throwing hand in a bloody mess.
The Scot did offer a hug to his young opponent and an apology to the crowd in the immediate aftermath but has since released a statement offering some more context behind the outburst.
Menzies 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."
It is not the first time Menzies has been emotional on the Ally Pally stage, having spent the end of his first-round loss to Leonard Gates last year in tears.
PDC chief executive Matt Porter says that disciplinary action could follow for the Scot but the organisation's priority is his mental wellbeing.
Porter said: "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."
Though the post-match incident somewhat overshadowed the match itself, debutant Manby was hugely impressive in victory.
The Huddersfield-born starlet is a former England teammate of Luke Littler and will be dreaming of following in the footsteps of the world number one, who reached the final on debut two years ago.
However, Manby has been drawn in a devilishly tough third quarter and, though his next game against either Canada's Matt Campbell or American Adam Sevada looks winnable, some big names lie in wait if he is to make the semi-finals.
Luke Humphries, Gian van Veen, Nathan Aspinall and James Wade are all in the same section of the draw as Manby, with the latter of that quartet a potential third-round tie which would be a real clash of generations.
Sporting Index go a best-priced 80/1 on Manby winning the third quarter, which would require him to win four more matches.
Champagne Charlie's victory was the only betting upset on Monday afternoon, with all four favourites also progressing in the evening session.
Resurgent German Max Hopp kicked off the night with a comfortable 3-1 defeat of the struggling Martin Lukeman. Jonny Clayton then battled past Adam Lipscombe 3-1, while Dirk van Duijvenbode needed a final set to rid of the stubborn Andy Baetens 3-2. Connor Scutt wrapped up an entertaining evening of arrows by beating popular veteran Simon Whitlock 3-2.
Tuesday sees eight more first-round ties with Chris Dobey and Gerwyn Price among the top names in action.
Matt Hill is Odds Now's Head of Content and leads our digital operation, while also offering his insight as a tipster across darts and football.
Having worked in the industry for the best part of a decade, including extended stints with Betfred and LiveScore, Matt joined the project in May 2024 with the sole aim of making Odds Now a key player in the betting content space.
He has also forged a reputation as a respected darts tipster, landing numerous three-figure outright winners over the years, while his love for lower league football also helps him pick out the odd obscure winner in that space.
When not at the editorial desk, Matt enjoys travelling the country supporting his beloved Carlisle United FC, chucking a few arrows and spending time with his young family.
Matt Hill is Odds Now's Head of Content and leads our digital operation, while also offering his insight as a tipster across darts and football.
Having worked in the industry for the best part of a decade, including extended stints with Betfred and LiveScore, Matt joined the project in May 2024 with the sole aim of making Odds Now a key player in the betting content space.
He has also forged a reputation as a respected darts tipster, landing numerous three-figure outright winners over the years, while his love for lower league football also helps him pick out the odd obscure winner in that space.
When not at the editorial desk, Matt enjoys travelling the country supporting his beloved Carlisle United FC, chucking a few arrows and spending time with his young family.
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Cameron Menzies has issued a statement apologising for his actions, where he was taken to hospital after punching a table in frustration following his exit from the World Darts Championship.
