Cameron Menzies has revealed that he seriously considered stepping away from professional darts earlier this year. After a difficult start to the season, the Scot even began applying for jobs again. The former plumber decided to leave his trade behind permanently in 2025 to focus entirely on his darts career, following a strong season in which he won his second Players Championship title and qualified for almost every major televised tournament, missing only the Grand Slam of Darts.
However, the new year got off to a disastrous start. At the World Darts Championship, Menzies made headlines after punching a drinks table on stage in frustration following his shock first-round defeat to Charlie Manby. Although he later apologized for the incident, he suffered an injury as a result, which only added to his struggles on the oche. His form declined and his confidence took a significant hit. The difficult period even led Menzies to prepare for a possible return to working life. “It’s just because I wasn’t playing well. I even started my CV again on Indeed, that’s how bad it was. I had CVs out there anyway, but I put a few out and got two or three phone calls for jobs,” said Menzies as per Oche. According to the current world No. 29, there were plenty of options available if he decided to quit professional darts. “My old supervisor that I used to work for even offered me a job. If I wanted to, he would give me my job back, no problem. There have been options for that, but the last two or three months have been progress. It was starting to get me down but now I am mentally good.” Menzies made his World Cup debut recently.
Menzies credits much of his renewed mental stability to hypnotherapy. According to the Scot, the treatment has had a positive impact not only on his performances on stage but also on his everyday life. One of the biggest improvements has come when traveling. “It’s helping me massively not just with my mental state of darts but it’s to do with life as well. So I used to really struggle with flying. I used to get so worked up. I am still not a massive fan of it but I don’t get so anxious about it.” He has also noticed benefits in daily life. According to Menzies, that sense of calm is now reflected in his game. “Even with life and trying to get too much done at once it helps you solve problems one at a time. It has been a massive help for me. It’s something I thought I never would have tried until it happened. I feel calmer on stage now because I am enjoying it more. I had the fear of maybe not being able to perform, so now I am trying to enjoy the moments because I know how easy it is to lose it all.”
After coming through a difficult spell, Menzies is now focused on qualifying for the World Matchplay in Blackpool. He made his debut at the prestigious summer tournament last year and hopes to return this summer. At present, the Scot occupies the final qualifying spot through the ProTour Order of Merit, but his position remains under threat. Several players are chasing him, including Dave Chisnall, who trails by just £4,250 with a few qualifying events still to be played. Nevertheless, Menzies remains optimistic. “Obviously, I would love to get the chance to play again and perform better than I did last year. That is the aim for me, to get there again and enjoy it more. But obviously there are a lot of players chasing that last space at the moment. There are a lot of changes yet to happen I believe, so hopefully I am lucky enough to qualify.”
