- 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 began to get 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.
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 at 39
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 is known for his showmanship on the circuit and showed plenty of that as he displayed several dance moves during his walk-on.
Meanwhile, Menzies endured a more low-key entrance, and regularly faced the ire of the crowd.
The 35-year-old was taunted with anti-Scotland chants throughout the clash – even when he brought it back to 1-1 – while he was also jeered when he struggled to post big scores, which included him also missing 20 darts at double.
He was also seen sweating and looking flustered on stage as he heartbreakingly struggled to deal with the pressure surrounding the encounter.
However, Gates’ antics seemingly endeared him to the crowd, with chants of ‘USA’ reverberating around Alexandra Palace.
He did embrace Menzies after the game, before showing off more dance moves in front of the crowd as he made sure to make the most of his victory.
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 of Menzies’ back ffs,’ 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.’
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