Cameron Menzies was taken ill during his World Matchplay Darts clash with Ross Smith in Blackpool this evening. The Scottish star suddenly stumbled backwards from the oche during the third leg of the game as his opponent Ross Smith rushed to his assistance. Menzies fell around the stage before dropping to his haunches as fans watched on in horror.
Broadcast interrupted
Sky Sports' broadcast cut away from the scenes while Menzies walked away. Host Emma Paton revealed Menzies would not be returning to complete his match with Smith. She said: "We are having a break in our first match because Cameron Menzies is unwell. All we know at the moment is that he is being seen to by St John's Ambulance."
"He is with some medics at the moment. Hopefully he is okay and feeling better very shortly." It was later confirmed to fans that due to medical advice Menzies would not be coming back out to the stage in Blackpool.
Recent career highlights
The incident comes after one of Menzies' biggest career wins earlier this week on Monday, when he knocked Luke Humphries out of the World Matchplay with a 10-7 victory. Earlier this year, Menzies was so close to quitting darts that he started refreshing his CV. The Scot only gave up his day job as a plumber a couple of years ago to focus on darts full-time. But in the wake of his meltdown at the last World Championship, when he unleashed a trio of uppercuts on his water table after his defeat to Charlie Manby, Menzies' game and life were in disarray. The 36-year-old's mood was so low that he genuinely pondered putting the arrows away and digging out his wrench again. "I was starting to think, 'Is this it for me? Am I going to have to go back to being a plumber?'" he admitted ahead of the World Matchplay this week.
