Cameron Menzies withdrew from the World Matchplay on Wednesday, 22 July 2026, after the darts player was struck by a medical problem mid-match in Blackpool and had to be helped from the stage.
Menzies, as reported by Live Darts, stopped playing three legs into his last-32 tie against Ross Smith, having taken a 2-1 lead after Smith had broken throw first with an 11-dart leg. He struggled in front of the referees before his opponent came across to check on him.
How Cameron Menzies came to withdraw at the World Matchplay
The incident unfolded in the fourth leg. Menzies stopped mid-match and appeared to struggle, prompting Smith to abandon his own throw and go to his opponent’s side. Smith then helped him limp off the stage, and Menzies received immediate medical treatment before his withdrawal was confirmed.
A live-blog update from Live Darts, posted on Wednesday, 22 July 2026, described the moment play was suspended:
“UPDATE: Play has been suspended in the fourth leg with Cameron Menzies leaving the stage to receive medical attention.”
At the point of the stoppage Menzies had led 2-1, having recovered the early break of throw conceded to Smith. The scoreline counted for nothing once he was unable to continue, since a withdrawal hands the tie to the opponent regardless of the position on the board at the time.
The Cameron Menzies run that lit up Blackpool
The World Matchplay ranks among the most prestigious events on the darts calendar, staged each July at the Winter Gardens in Blackpool. A run to the last 32 had placed Menzies among the tournament’s standout stories before the medical scare ended his involvement without a dart thrown to finish the leg.
That first-round victory had lifted Menzies into the spotlight, having removed one of the sport’s dominant figures in Luke Humphries, the world number two.
The 170 finish, the maximum possible checkout, underlined the form he carried into Blackpool and sharpened the disappointment of an exit forced by circumstances beyond the board.
What happens next for Menzies
The nature of the medical issue was not confirmed at the time of publishing. Smith advanced to the next round without completing the tie, while attention turned to Menzies and the treatment he was receiving away from the stage. No formal diagnosis had been released by the sport’s governing body.
A formal update now rests with Menzies himself or the Professional Darts Corporation, neither of which had spoken by the time he was helped from the stage.
Until one of them accounts for the medical problem and his fitness for the fixtures ahead, the sport is left to wait on the player who had just produced his finest night in Blackpool.
