World Darts Championship star Cameron Menzies’ wild act before punching table

WARNING, GRAPHIC IMAGE: Shocking footage has emerged of what Cameron Menzies did prior to punching a table at the World Darts Championship

Cameron Menzies extinguished a firework with his bare hand seconds before his shocking attack on a table at the World Darts Championship. The Scottish thrower, 36, was filmed delivering three uppercuts to his table following a dramatic loss to Charlie Manby at Alexandra Palace.

After referee Kirk Bevins ushered him off the stage, blood could be seen streaming from his throwing hand. But Menzies may have injured his hand even before striking the table.

Just before his outburst, he was seen hunched over. It was unclear what he was doing on the TV coverage but footage captured by a spectator shows Menzies placing his right hand over one of the pyrotechnics that go off at the end of a match.

Menzies left his hand on the firework for several seconds, holding it down until it appeared to be put out. As well as a bloodied and possibly even broken hand, he may also have burns to recover from before he plays again.

He is now likely to face a fine from the Darts Regulation Authority (DRA), having swiftly issued an apology for his behaviour, citing personal issues, including his uncle’s recent passing.

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He 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.”

PDC chief executive Matt 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.”

It marks the second consecutive year that Menzies has crashed out in the opening round at Ally Pally. He was left in floods of tears during and after his loss to Leonard Gates last year.