Cameron Menzies was unable to contain his emotions on a difficult night at the World Darts Championship.
The Scot entered the Worlds in strong form but wasn’t able to hold it together on the Ally Pally stage, with Leonard Gates storming to a 3-1 victory.
Menzies, who is the partner of Fallon Sherrock, was in tears before the match had even finished, with his performance taking a hit as a result.
He struggled to find trebles in the final set of the first-round contest and was visibly upset when Gates hit the match-winning dart.
Earlier in the contest though it looked as if Menzies had thrown a rude gesture as he walked away from the oche.
When he was walking back to his station on stage at the Alexandra Palace, Menzies appeared to gesticulate an offensive sign with his hands.
If deemed necessary, further action could be taken against Menzies for the apparent gesture.
The PDC have been approached for comment by Express Sport.
Speaking after the contest former pro Glen Durrant said on Sky Sports: “That transition to doing really well on the floor at the Players Championship and doing well on the stage, it’s just not happening, he’s full of emotion.
“When you look at his preparation, it’s something he’s going to have to work out, why he doesn’t play as well on the stage as on the floor.
“He’s extremely talented, but at the end it was a little worrying. I didn’t know if he was getting upset, I didn’t know if the heat was getting to him. It was pretty bizarre. But very, very disappointing.”
When quizzed by Sky Sports anchor Emma Paton on whether his big stage woes are becoming a self-fulfilling prophecy, Durant replied: “He’s got good people around him, you’ve got to work it out yourself.
“There’s big opportunities for these players now, there’s no point in feeling sorry for yourself. But we’ve seen those pictures of Cameron a thousand times, he’s such a great darts player, he’s got to find a way. It might just be one game to get him through.
“The excitement of playing on the stage, but 16 per cent on the doubles. He’ll be disappointed, you prepare, get yourself ready for that game and in the end it was all about Gates.”
Gates will return to action on Wednesday night when he takes on Nathan Aspinall for a place in the third round.
