Cameron Menzies has spoken candidly about his mental state and the infamous World Darts Championship meltdown that saw him punch a table, admitting he doesn’t even remember the incident. In an interview with Online Darts, the Scot revealed he is now in a “good place” and looking ahead to his World Cup of Darts debut next month alongside Gary Anderson.
“Good place at the moment. Life’s good, everything’s good. The darts over the last couple of days, the performances have been better than normal. There’s definitely improvement in the hand, I can actually feel my fingers now, so we’re all good,” Menzies said. He struggled for months after the incident with Charlie Manby, unable to feel the dart in his hand. “When I was going through the surgeries, the hand specialist said I was lucky I didn’t do more damage. They feared the worst; they thought I might never get feeling back in my hand. They checked the nerves and tendons and said it was badly bruised, but nothing was severed. Stupid thing I did, but I’ve got away with it. It could have been a lot worse.”
Menzies detailed the aftermath: “Just one [operation]. Straight after. I went to A&E, they bandaged it, then I had to go the next day for an operation. There was a lot of damage, I could see bone and stuff. So… don’t do that again.” He also revealed he went straight off social media after the incident, expecting hate, but his mate kept him updated. “He said I’d get a lot more love than hate, and I did. I was always good for a lot of the time, so I think people understood. It was a stressful time and I exploded at the wrong moment, but I’m a lot better now. Life’s good. I’m trying to look after my health more, getting more time in the gym, playing golf again, just trying to get more me time. It’s good to be home in Scotland, seeing family and friends.”
Reflecting on the punch itself, Menzies said: “I just remember being really annoyed. I wanted to cause myself a bit of pain. I don’t remember the table. I just remember tripping and hitting my head, raging with myself. I didn’t feel pain at first — just warmth when I looked at my hand. Then I realised what I’d done. I apologised straight away. I was like, ‘You idiot.’ Then I got taken straight into A&E and had the operation the next day.” He credited the Professional Darts Players Association and life coach Chris O’Connor for helping him. “The support I’ve had has been incredible. Chris O’Connor works with a lot of players doing life coaching. He told me I was hitting a breaking point. I’ve not spoken to him for a little while but I need to get back into that routine. It’s about de-stressing and making life easier. Everyone struggles with things — that was my breaking point. It’s helped massively. I’ve always struggled with flying, my anxiety went through the roof. Now I’m doing two or three flights without stress. Something good has come out of it.”
Menzies also looked ahead to his World Cup of Darts debut, joking that he is basically Anderson’s bag handler. “I’m already a bit nervous! I feel sorry for Gary… I’m basically his bag handler according to my mates. But I’m looking forward to it. It might only happen once, so I want to enjoy it. There’s not many Scots who’ve done it, it’s a very exclusive thing. I just want to be in the best possible shape. Playing for Scotland with Gary Anderson is something special. People ask if I’ve got my shirt already. I’m keeping it and framing it no matter what. I’ll be nervous because playing for your country is different from playing for yourself.” He added that Peter Wright has given him advice, saying, “I hope you get there, you deserve it — but I’m still gunning for you.”
