"There’s clearly something not right with him"- Should Menzies receive support or fine after Ally Pally meltdown?
PDCWednesday, 17 December 2025 at 11:51
The first round of the World Darts Championship at Alexandra Palace was shaken up on Monday by the incident involving Cameron Menzies. The Scot lost his match to debutant Charlie Manby, but it was his post-match outburst that dominated the conversation. The footage, showing Menzies injuring his hand by landing several blows on a stage table, mainly raised questions within the darts world about his mental state.
ADVERTISEMENT
The incident was discussed at length on the World Darts Championship Draait Door podcast. Former professional Vincent van der Voort left little room for doubt about the seriousness of the situation. “He needs help,” he stated bluntly.
On the podcast, Van der Voort was asked which moment stood out most from the session. His answer was immediate. “Well, that was undoubtedly Menzies. First he puts his hand in those pyros, and then he hits that little table three times with an uppercut and smashes it to bits.”
According to Van der Voort, the incident is not an isolated case. “Well, we all know he struggles a bit mentally. He also spoke to the PDC recently. There’s clearly something not right with him.”
Those words align with earlier signs around Menzies, who in recent months has more often struggled with his emotions on stage. That picture is reinforced by private circumstances that have affected the Scot lately.
Shortly after his defeat, Menzies explained that his uncle had recently passed away. In addition, his long-term relationship with darts star Fallon Sherrock ended this past summer. Van der Voort believes that accumulation plays a key role. “There are multiple things. I think the lad is having a really tough time mentally at the moment.”
Even so, the Dutchman believes that doesn’t mean everything can just be ignored. The debate over possible sanctions therefore followed swiftly.
ADVERTISEMENT
Punishment or support?
While fines or suspensions are often the default response, Van der Voort sees little value in a financial penalty. “I don’t think a fine will do him any good. They should focus more on helping him. And he should be required to follow a specific route so this doesn’t happen again.”
In his view, the solution doesn’t lie in public shaming. “I also think it’s too easy now to go after Menzies and make fun of him a bit. He just has those odd antics now and then, that’s just how it is.”
Host Damian Vlottes did add a clear caveat. “But even with those private events, there’s no excuse to behave like that.”
ADVERTISEMENT
Van der Voort agreed, but again stressed the need for support over punishment. “Of course not. But that’s why I’m saying: ‘he needs help.’ So he should get a note that this can’t happen again and that he has to meet various clauses, otherwise he will be suspended.”
Vlottes pointed to the example set by players on the sport’s biggest stage. “But you might need to set an example. That this is not acceptable.”
Van der Voort reacted sharply to that point. “Well, if you don’t understand that… Then you might as well lock them all up.” He believes the emphasis should be elsewhere. “The example should be that you have to take a full course and undergo treatment. And if you don’t, then you still get suspended.”
Sympathy prevails
Beyond rules and sanctions, Van der Voort mainly feels sympathy. “It’s more sad than something to laugh about. It was pretty intense.”
ADVERTISEMENT
For Manby, the 20-year-old debutant who eventually won 3-2 after Menzies let a 2-0 lead slip, the incident was anything but ideal. “It’s a shame for him too, because all the focus goes to this. He wins the first round, but doesn’t even get mentioned. That’s just annoying for him as well.”
Van der Voort stressed that Menzies wasn’t even playing badly. “The lad must feel absolutely awful. What he did was remarkable.” And about the outburst itself: “I really didn’t expect him to flip like that.” Vlottes summed up the moment succinctly. “Yeah, it was a strange sight.”
Samuel GillChief Content Officer
Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of DartsNews.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy across professional darts coverage. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces, playing a central role in the development and daily operation of the site.
Based in Leicester, Samuel has extensive experience in darts media and has been closely involved in coverage of the professional darts circuit for several years. Within the UK darts community, he is a recognised figure known for his consistent editorial output and ongoing reporting on major tournaments and developments across the PDC calendar.
In his current role, Samuel works closely with editors and writers to ensure content meets clear journalistic standards, with a focus on source verification, editorial consistency, and timely updates when new, confirmed information becomes available.
claps 1visitors 1
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- Need to see her take part in the womens tour. She'll break the inernet.medinabello08-09-2026
- If he can be bothered? He won't play darts in Germany yet he'll go over and get an award!??rick6702-09-2026
- Why is this the main story? He chose not to compete in loads of tournaments,yes he's number 1 in the world,but he does have to turn up at tournaments! Play the next world championship in Dortmund and see if he turns up!!rick6727-08-2026
- This is exactly what I mean,littler survives the 1st round,I think you'll find a lot of other players did. Can you just report on the real sport,and not just 1 person. I like Luke,but this is getting boring now,as Kevin painter once said to Taylor!! The sport is about every player,not 1 who everyone seems to have put the sport on the map.,which he hasn't,he's just got in when the money is massive. Great as he is,it seems like what's the point in anyone trying,he's going to win everything,unless it's in Germany or Australia!!!rick6726-08-2026
- I mean look, Littler's picture is first,wattimena is second and he won! Level it up. I know littler is fantastic,but the sport was here before him,and will be when he's retired. Any player in the top 64/128 can beat each other,it's not big news. Poor Jermaine,wins it,and not even the headline!!rick6726-08-2026
- I appreciate that littler is a fantastic player,but the top 3 articles are about him. Before he'd thrown a dart in the tournament. Level it out a bit, Taylor and van gerwen soon got disliked as the media could only see them,and nobody else seemed to matterrick6725-08-2026
- The two-point Lucky Loser qualifiers are Ross Smith, Robb, Whitlock, Sakai, Ilagan and Toylo. Jermaine is not on the entries list on Dartconnect for the TCH qualifier so the four from the main OoM are probably Searle, Nijman, Dobey, Wattimena.Scoobedybop24-08-2026
- The two-point Lucky Loser qualifiers are Ross Smith, Robb, Whitlock, Sakai, Ilagan and Toylo. Jermaine is not on the entries list on Dartconnect for the TCH qualifier so the four from the main OoM are probably Searle, Nijman, Dobey, Wattimena.Scoobedybop24-08-2026
- I'd happily pay for a site free of Van der Voort's every squeak and utterance.StraightArrowNoBull19-08-2026
- I think you miss the point. It is just a poll if you are willing to pay for an ad-free site. The content stays free.SheGotLegs16-08-2026
Loading
