Menzies apologises for repeatedly punching table after loss

Cameron Menzies has apologised for angrily punching a drinks table after his five-set defeat by highly rated Charlie Manby in the first round of the PDC World Championship.

The 26th seed from Scotland hit the underside of the table three times before holding his hand up in apology to the Alexandra Palace crowd as he left the stage.

Menzies, 36, was pictured with blood pouring from a gash on his right hand.

He had led 1-0 and 2-1 in sets before 20-year-old English debutant Manby fought back and clinched victory with his seventh match dart.

In a statement released after the match, 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 the second year running that Menzies has been knocked out in the first round after he broke down in tears during and following his exit to Leonard Gates last December.

Players can be sanctioned under Darts Regulation Authority rules for aggressive, disruptive or abusive behaviour.

Former Premier League champion Glen Durrant – commentating on the subsequent match for Sky Sports – said: “Charlie Manby is a superstar in the making. Sometimes you can build a player up at 20 years old. We thought it was going to be the match of the afternoon and it delivered.

“But it wasn’t the ending we all want to see. For Cameron Menzies, I think he will regret that for the rest of his life. It was not a good watch.”

Also in Monday’s afternoon session, two-time champion Peter Wright made it through to round two with a straight-set win over Noa-Lynn van Leuven.

The 55-year-old Scot, wearing a festive-themed outfit, landed a 152 checkout in the first set and was taken to a deciding leg in the second, before closing out victory comfortably in the third.

Wright, who will face German Arno Merk in round two, told Sky Sports: “I know I didn’t play well but I will play well in the next round. You’ve got to grow into the tournament.”

Wright, the winner in 2020 and 2022, has struggled for form in recent times and has slipped to 30th in the PDC world rankings as a result.

Van Leuven, who became the first transgender player to appear at the PDC World Championship last year, was one of five players from the Women’s Series to qualify for the event at Alexandra Palace.

Beau Greaves topped the series and faces Daryl Gurney first on Friday as she looks to become only the second female player to win a match in the tournament, after fellow qualifier Fallon Sherrock, who won twice at the event in December 2019.

Three places were on offer from the series, along with a spot for the Women’s Matchplay winner – a title taken by Lisa Ashton, who lost to 2023 world champion Michael Smith in the first round on Thursday.

With Greaves qualifying in her own right as runner-up on the Development Tour, that meant Women’s Series runner-up Sherrock, Van Leuven in fourth and Gemma Hayter, who finished fifth, joined third-placed Ashton.

From 19:00 GMT