"Before I quit, the last six weeks I worked one day" - Cameron Menzies fully commits to darts after 'wasting time' in plumber job

Cameron Menzies is on the eve of his participation in the World Matchplay in Blackpool, but his preparation, as usual, has been anything but standard. The colorful Scot, who for years combined darts with his work as a plumber, recently tied the knot and decided to become a full-time darter.

"Well, the form's going to drop since, but I knew that was going to happen, just because of the little change of mindset, but I'm playing okay," Menzies told in the Weekly Dartscast.

Still, the run-up to the tournament was tough. Menzies struggled with balancing travel, work and training. "A lot of times I was doing the travel and then having to do a day's work and then that day I was knackered, so there's no way I'm practising, and then I was getting the case ready and travelling, or I was working half a shift before it."

For a long time that went well, but at some point the stretch ran out. The Scot was faced with a choice: take the plunge into darts full-time, or lose his job. "I actually got reduced hours and I was just never there. I just got to the point where I either took the plunge and quit, or I was going to get sacked. I felt bad because they were great for me."

Menzies looks back on his time as a plumber with warm feelings. "We still keep contact with them, because obviously they're supervisors and there's a lot of guys that I work with and that I became really close friends with, but I felt like I was getting annoyed at myself because I couldn't really do any work.

"They were supportive of me on my darts, I wasn't missing much darts, but I was missing work, so I was travelling. Because of it, it's all European tours are Thursday to Monday, depending on how you play, and a lot of darts are during the week, so I was only working Monday to Friday."

The deciding factor was a monthly paycheck that was nearly empty. "Before I quit, the last six weeks, I worked that one day. Got my wage through that day. I got paid monthly, I got my wage through, and I was like, well, I've wasted time." It was clear to Menzies that he was better off focusing entirely on darts.

Still, he sees his old profession as a safety net. "I feel like I'm fine for these two years. If it doesn't go to plan, or whatever, it's quite a good trade that I could go back to."