Should Menzies receive support or fine after Ally Pally meltdown? "There’s clearly something not right with him"

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.

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.

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.”

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.”

Beyond rules and sanctions, Van der Voort mainly feels sympathy. “It’s more sad than something to laugh about. It was pretty intense.”

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.”