- Cameron Menzies suffered a first round defeat to world No 130 Leonard Gates
- Menzies broke down in tears towards the end of the game at Alexandra Palace
Cameron Menzies heartbreakingly broke down in tears during his first round match at the World Championship as he suffered a shock defeat.
Menzies, who is the partner of darts star and trailblazer Fallon Sherrock, went down 3-1 to world No 130 Leonard Gates despite being ranked 91 places higher.
The Scot endured a difficult evening at Alexandra Palace as he managed to complete just five out of 32 checkouts, with his highest finish being 72.
Towards the end of the decisive fourth leg when Menzies was closing in on defeat, the 35-year-old began to break down and could barely hold back the tears.
The boisterous crowd got behind his opponent and Menzies was even seen crying as he stepped up to throw before he looked distraught at the end of the game.
And, speaking after his impressive victory, American star Gates opened up on what was happening on stage.
Cameron Menzies broke down in tears during his first round match at the World Championship
The Scot suffered a shock defeat to world No 130 Leonard Gates despite being ranked 39th
Menzies looked distraught towards the end of the match as he went down to the American
‘I was definitely aware of it (his emotions),’ he said. ‘But at the same time, I want my opponent to play their best against me to see if I can play my best against them.
‘I told him to use the energy of the crowd, keep coming and keep playing the best he can to grow the PDC.’
Gates did go onto show support for Menzies and made sure to point out the Scot’s qualities.
‘We played together in Vegas,’ he added. ‘So I know what he can do. You know when he’s feeling good and he’s had good having fun and have a good time.
‘He can throw some great darts and I mean I hats off to him. You know Cameron Menzies is a great man a great opponent and I hope he keeps going.’
Meanwhile, Gates is known for his showmanship on the circuit and showed plenty of that on Monday night as he pulled off a range of dance moves during his walk-on in an attempt to whip up the crowd.
Gates’ antics were lapped up by those in attendance, with chants of ‘USA’ reverberating around Alexandra Palace throughout.
On the other hand, Menzies endured a more low-key entrance, and regularly faced the ire of the crowd.
The pair embraced after the game, but Menzies was clearly devastated with what had unfolded
However, Gates still made sure to enjoy his victory in front of an adoring crowd in London
Several fans were quick to show their support for Menzies following his difficult evening
The 35-year-old was taunted with anti-Scotland chants throughout the clash – even when he brought the tie back to 1-1 – while he was also jeered when he struggled to post big scores and checkout, which included him missing 20 darts at double.
He was similarly seen sweating and looking flustered on stage as he unfortunately struggled to deal with the pressure of the encounter.
Gates did embrace Menzies after the game, before showing off more dance moves in celebration.
Nevertheless, several fans were quick to empathise with Menzies following the match as they took to social media to show their support.
‘Ok I’m all for drama and tension but this is beyond hard to watch. Crowd needs to get off Menzies’ back,’ one said.
Another added: ‘Cameron Menzies is breaking down emotionally This has become a tough watch.’
A further fan chimed in and said: ‘Tough watching Cameron Menzies here. Clearly got plenty of talent but just cannot hold it together.’
The 35-year-old has shown his quality this year and he won his maiden PDC ranking title at Players Championship 29 in Leicester back in October.
He will hope to bounce back from his difficult night, while Gates will marches on to face Nathan Aspinall in the second round.
