Cameron Menzies showed his emotion as he was taunted by the crowd during a surprise first-round defeat at Alexandra Palace by American qualifier Leonard Gates
Cameron Menzies broke down in tears as he slumped to defeat against Leonard Gates in distressing scenes where the boozy crowd’s behaviour bordered on bullying.
Texas truck driver Gates deserved his 3-1 triumph after taking out 122 to clinch victory at the Paddy Power PDC World Championship.
But Menzies, always one of the most demonstrative players on stage, was clearly affected by the Alexandra Palace crowd’s jeering and sarcastic cheers whenever he missed his intended target.
Watched by partner Fallon Sherrock in the VIP seats, Menzies was distressed by the catcalls and played for much of the final two legs in tears.
Either the Ally Pally patrons were oblivious to his blubbing or they thought it was OK to trash Menzies’ mental health live on TV.
But it was a distressing spectacle to watch a player’s emotions disintegrate before our eyes.
Gates, 54, was a revelation from his boogie walk-on to his sensational finishing in the first set, where he took out 138, 120 and 85 on the bull.
But with the match in the balance, the crowd’s behaviour towards Menzies was boorish and cruel.
Gates initially celebrated his win by exclaiming: ”Merry Christmas – this is freaking awesome!”
Later, when asked about Menzies’ distress, he said: “I was aware of Cammy. I want my opponent to play the best against me. So, I can see what I can do against them.
“I told him, use the energy, don’t look at it as a negative, look at it as a positive. Just use that energy, play a lot more darts, get better, keep showing the PDC what we can do.”
Menzies averaged a lowly 83.77 and missed a staggering 27 of his 32 shots at a double.
But it must have been terrible for Sherrock to watch her other half in such manifest distress on stage, and the episode reflected only discredit on the fans who celebrated the Scot’s tearful surrender.
There is a world of difference between playful chants of “Scotland get battered everywhere they go” and deliberate persecution of a man on the edge.
Sky Sports commentator Glen Durrant, the three-time Lakeside world champion and Premier League winner, said: “On the floor, Cammy has been the best player in the room. He’s the one that has stood out.
“It feels like it is a different game when you go on stage. It is just not happening for him. He is full of emotion.
“When you look at his preparation, he will have to work out if he is to find a solution about why he doesn’t play on the stage as he does on the floor. He’s extremely talented.
“But at the end, it was a little worrying, I didn’t know if he was getting upset or if the heat was getting to him. It was a pretty bizarre ending.
“He has to find a way through this. The excitement of playing on that stage is there but 16% on the doubles was going to be his Achilles heel.”