Cameron Menzies was seen leaving the stage with blood on his right hand.
Cameron Menzies has issued an apology for striking a drinks table in frustration following his first-round defeat to Charlie Manby at the PDC World Championship.
The Scottish player, seeded 26th, struck the table three times before offering an apology to the crowd at Alexandra Palace as he exited the stage.
Photographs subsequently showed Menzies, 36, with a visible cut on his right hand.
Menzies had held leads of 1-0 and 2-1 in sets before Manby, a highly regarded 20-year-old English debutant, rallied to secure victory with his seventh match dart.
In a statement released after the match, Menzies stated: “Firstly, I would like to apologise unreservedly for my actions. I am deeply sorry for reacting in the way that I did.”
“While it’s not an excuse, I have been dealing with a number of personal issues recently, and I think it all became overwhelming at the end.”
“The recent passing of my uncle, Gary, has been particularly difficult. I saw him just days before he died, and his expression conveyed how much he thought of me.”
“Had I won against Charlie, my second match would have coincided with Gary’s funeral, which has weighed heavily on my mind.”
“However, I want to reiterate that this is not an excuse for my behaviour on stage. It was wrong, and I don’t want it to detract from Charlie’s performance. He played very well.”
“This is not the image I want to project. While I can be emotional, my reaction was unacceptable and not representative of who I am.”
Matt Porter, chief executive of the Professional Darts Corporation, commented: “I spoke with Cameron and his management prior to his departure from the venue. He is aware of the support available to him from both 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 primary concern is the player’s health and wellbeing.”
This marks the second consecutive year that Menzies has been eliminated in the first round. Last December, he was visibly emotional during and after his defeat to Leonard Gates.
Menzies later revealed that his father, Ricky, had been hospitalised at that time.
Following the incident, Menzies was directed off stage by the referee after punching a drinks table.
Menzies raised his hand in apology to the crowd as he left the stage.
The Darts Regulation Authority’s rules allow for sanctions against players for aggressive, disruptive, or abusive behaviour.
Former World Championship semi-finalist Wayne Mardle commented on Sky Sports: “The frustration, anger, and anguish of losing all came to a head, but you must control that. It’s about conducting yourself appropriately.”
“He let himself down, and I’m sure the Darts Regulation Authority will take appropriate action. Hopefully, the Professional Darts Players Association will be there to support him.”
“You have to maintain control, and he didn’t. Such behaviour is unacceptable anywhere, especially on the biggest stage of all. I hope he can correct his behaviour and move forward.”
In other news, two-time champion Peter Wright advanced to the second round with a straight-sets victory over Noa-Lynn van Leuven.
The 55-year-old Scot, sporting a festive outfit, secured a 152 checkout in the first set and was taken to a deciding leg in the second before comfortably closing out the match in the third.
Wright, who will face German Arno Merk in the second round, told Sky Sports: “I know my performance wasn’t great, but I’ll improve in the next round. You need to grow into the tournament.”
Wright, champion in 2020 and 2022, has experienced a decline in form recently, leading to a drop to 30th in the PDC world rankings.
He reached the quarter-finals last year, defeating Luke Humphries’ title defence before losing to Stephen Bunting.
Van Leuven, who made history last year as the first transgender player to compete at the PDC World Championship, was one of five players from the Women’s Series to qualify for the event at Alexandra Palace.
Peter Wright successfully hit nine of his 16 attempts at doubles during his first-round victory.
Welsh fifth seed Jonny Clayton averaged just over 93 in a 3-1 win against English debutant Adam Lipscombe, while Dutch 29th seed Dirk van Duijvenbode prevailed in a deciding set against Belgium’s Andy Baetens.
Brendan Dolan of Northern Ireland, Austria’s Mensur Suljovic, and Germany’s Max Hopp also secured victories on Monday.
Tuesday’s first-round action includes matches featuring England’s Chris Dobey, a semi-finalist last year, and Wales’ 2021 world champion Gerwyn Price.
World Darts Championship 2026 schedule and results
World Darts Championship – Draw, seeds, prize money
Brendan Dolan 3-1 Tavis Dudeney
Cameron Menzies 2-3 Charlie Manby
Mensur Suljovic 3-1 David Cameron
Peter Wright 3-0 Noa-Lynn van Leuven
Martin Lukeman 1-3 Max Hopp
Dirk van Duijvenbode 3-2 Andy Baetens
Jonny Clayton 3-1 Adam Lipscombe
Connor Scutt v Simon Whitlock
From 12:30 GMT:
Alan Soutar v Teemu Harju
Nick Kenny v Justin Hood
Scott Williams v Paolo Nebrida
Chris Dobey v Xiaochen Zong
From 19:00 GMT:
Ricardo Pietreczko v Jose de Sousa
Danny Noppert v Jurjen van der Velde
Gerwyn Price v Adam Gawlas
Niko Springer v Joe Comito
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