"You will come back stronger than ever love ya mate": Ross Smith shows class after Cameron Menzies taken ill at the World Matchplay
PDCFriday, 24 July 2026 at 09:01
The second round of the World Matchplay in Blackpool took an unexpected and emotional turn on Wednesday evening. During the match between Ross Smith and Cameron Menzies, play had to be stopped abruptly after the 37-year-old Scottish darts player fell ill on stage. Smith immediately rushed to his opponent's aid.
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The incident occurred in the fourth leg of the match at the Winter Gardens in Blackpool. Menzies had made an excellent start and had taken a 2-1 lead over Smith. Suddenly, however, the 37-year-old Scot appeared to lose his balance and was slumped over on stage.
Smith did not hesitate for a second and immediately ran over to his opponent. Together with the referee, he helped Menzies off the stage, where medical staff took over and examined him. Sky Sports quickly panned away with presenter Emma Paton admirably filling time as Van Veen and Nijman then were given the heads up that they were on an hour later.
Shortly after the incident, the PDC provided an update on Menzies' condition. The Scot had suffered from severely elevated blood pressure, which caused him to become dizzy before eventually collapsing. Following medical checks, he was deemed well enough to return to his accommodation, where he could continue to rest and recover.
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Despite the positive update, it was decided that Menzies would take no further part in the World Matchplay. His health understandably took priority, forcing him to withdraw from the tournament. As a result, Ross Smith advanced to the quarter-finals without the match being completed.
Ross Smith onto the oche.
Message on social media
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Smith later took to social media to show that the result was the last thing on his mind. Instead, his focus was entirely on the well-being of his close friend.
"So glad my good friend @CameronMenzies is ok," he wrote. "Health comes before anything. You will come back stronger than ever love ya mate."
Mark Webster at the time on the coverage for Sky Sports said himself that Smith no doubt will have the concern of Menzies on his mind over everything else. "Smith was obviously concerned," he said.
"He'll be offering his support. While the medics are seeing to Cameron, he's got to stay on the practice board. But ultimately it's just about hoping that Cameron is okay at the minute."
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Menzies went on to release a further statement confirming that he is ok and thanked everyone for their messages as well as Smith.
"Just a quick message to say thank you to everyone for all the messages. Unfortunately, I wasn't well enough to continue the match. It's obviously not how I wanted my World Matchplay to end, especially after playing some of the best darts of my career over the last few weeks.
"I'm grateful to the medical team for looking after me, to Ross for checking on me, and to everyone at the Winter Gardens for their support.
"A big good luck to Ross for the rest of the tournament. I wish him all the best. Hopefully I'll be back doing what I love very soon. Thanks again for all your support, it really does mean a lot."
Quarter-final clash with Price
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With Menzies' withdrawal, Ross Smith now progresses to the World Matchplay quarter-finals, where he faces a stern test against Gerwyn Price, who booked his place with an emphatic 11-5 victory over Rob Cross.
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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.
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