Cameron Menzies is ready to make his World Cup of Darts debut for Scotland, just months after considering quitting the sport. The 36-year-old damaged his hand by angrily punching a drinks table following a first-round exit at the PDC World Championship, an incident that took its toll physically and psychologically.
Menzies turned to hypnotherapy to control his emotions, describing it as 'a massive help'. 'It helps you do little problems at a time,' he said. 'It's not just with my mental state with the darts, it's to do with life as well. I feel calmer on stage now because I am enjoying it more. I had the fear of maybe not being able to perform, so now I am trying to enjoy the moments because I know how easy it is to lose it all.'
His hand remains 'a bit numbish', but Menzies insists it is 'a lot better than it was'. 'Absolutely fine, which is good for the mental side because I used to sometimes struggle holding a dart. It would slip out of my hand and I would just get caught in my own head worrying 'is this it for me?'' he explained. 'It was something that I had to deal with but now I am basically back to full fitness and a lot better mentally and physically.'
Scotland are one of the four seeded nations alongside England, Netherlands and holders Northern Ireland, entering the fray on Saturday. The Scots have won the title twice before, with Anderson triumphant in 2019 beside Peter Wright. Ranked 29th in the world, Menzies is relishing playing alongside his 'hero' Gary Anderson. 'If I get too hyper, Gary will just clip me behind the ear to tell me to calm down,' he said. 'We do quite a lot of exhibitions together, so the chemistry should be okay. If Gary plays the way he usually does and I find my 'A' game, I think we could be a team that will be hard to beat because I feel we are big scorers. I am not saying we are favourites or anything like that, but we can go on a run if we are clinical on the doubles.'
The pair will hope to progress to Sunday, which means Menzies may miss Scotland's opening match at the other World Cup — the football one. 'I think Gary will tell me to go to bed and put a lock on my door so I can't get out because he knows what I am like,' he laughed. 'I got tickets for a Glasgow fan zone before I knew I was going to be in this, so I will probably try to watch on my phone but, with a face like this, I need my beauty sleep.'
