Cameron Menzies drops clanger at World Matchplay as darts ace suffers horror debut

Cameron Menzies couldn't hide his emotion after dropping a clanger during his World Matchplay debut against Danny Noppert at the Winter Gardens in Blackpool. Menzies had worked hard to qualify for the event, which pits 32 of the best players in the world against each other.

Menzies had lost the first three legs of the match, but it was in the fourth that disaster struck for the Scottish star. With 178 left on the board, Menzies inexplicably stepped up to the oche and hit an unwanted 180.

Unsurprisingly, the gaffe caused confusion in the arena and after realising what he'd done, Menzies cut a distraught figure up on the Winter Gardens stage. Menzies put his face to his hands before shaking his head as he walked back to the mark in the knowledge he'd just handed his opponent a golden opportunity.

With the door ajar, Noppert didn't make any mistake, finishing off the leg and taking a 4-0 lead. The Belgian continued to put his foot on the accelerator and managed to establish a 7-0 lead before Menzies earned his first leg of the contest.

Despite the hammering, it's a step in the right direction for Menzies, who will still be able to take plenty of positives from a maiden Winter Gardens appearance. Menzies had earlier this year quit his plumbing job to focus on a full-time darts career, saying at the time: "I'm not as good as I'd like to be yet, but I'm heading in the right direction.

"This means a lot to me because it proves the title I won last year wasn't by luck. I know how well I've been playing and I wouldn't have been disheartened if I hadn't won another title because my two previous years on tour have been nowhere near this standard."

Elsewhere on night one at the Matchplay, James Wade got off to a flying start of his own, beating former semi-finalist Joe Cullen 10-3, doing so with his highest-ever tournament average. Speaking to Sky Sports after the win, Wade said: "It's 20 years of being in Blackpool, it's still my favourite tournament, venue and people... It's the best experience of darts and I'm really grateful.

"I've won tournaments with less than that [his average], it is what it is. [Pointing to the crowd] they're all interested in darts, they're all listening. That's what makes Blackpool so magical."