"By the time Cameron Menzies finally leaves the arena, the blood gushing from the gash on his right hand has trickled its way down the whole hand, down his wrist, part of his forearm and somehow up to his face. Smeared in crimson and regret, and already mouthing sheepish apologies to the crowd, he disappears down the steps, pursued by a stern-looking Matt Porter, the chief executive of the Professional Darts Corporation."
"The physical scars from Menzies's encounter with the Alexandra Palace drinks table after his 3-2 defeat against Charlie Manby will be gone within a few weeks. Most probably there will be a fine of some sort. What about the rest? Man loses game of darts, punches table three times in fury, goes to hospital, repents at leisure: simple cause and effect. But of course this is not, and this is never, the whole story."
"In a way this tale is a kind of parable for elite darts itself, a pub game elevated to the level of a prize-fight, even very occasionally a bloodsport. Credit, first of all, where due. The 20-year-old Manby is clearly going to be some talent: a star of the Modus Super Series who this year posted a mind-bending average of 130.7 on the Development Tour, smashing the previous record held by Luke Littler."
A match at Alexandra Palace ended with Cameron Menzies severely cutting his hand after he punched a drinks table following a 3-2 loss to Charlie Manby. Menzies bled down his arm, apologized to the crowd, and was escorted by the Professional Darts Corporation’s chief executive; physical wounds are expected to heal and a fine is likely. The incident raises questions about the emotional intensity and culture of elite darts. Charlie Manby emerged as a highly promising 20-year-old talent with exceptional recent averages. Past episodes show crowd hostility can provoke acute anxiety and visible distress among players.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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