Cameron Menzies acts classy as he delivers another blow to toiling Peter Wright
Ayrshire star came out on top in the battle of the Scots in Amsterdam as Snakebite suffers another painful setback
Classy Cameron Menzies delivered another savage blow on Peter Wright’s fightback bid.
The Ayrshire ace ran away with the all-Scottish clash in the first-round at the World Series of Darts Finals in Amsterdam.
Wright is battling to get himself back into top form and emerge from a slump which is threatening his place in the game’s Top 16.
But, although Snakebite managed to claw back from an early 3-0 deficit, his countryman stepped on the pedal again and reeled off the final three legs to secure a Saturday night last 16 against Chris Dobey, who booked his place in the contest with a 6-2 triumph over Luke Woodhouse.
Menzies was delighted to get the win, but in respectful fashion, kept a lid on his celebrations until Wright had departed the scene as the 55-year-old headed off to contemplate yet another damaging setback in his efforts to regain top form.
The two-time World Champion has talked about his recent struggles and the lengths he is going to try and recover his very best.
In the lead up to the tournament in the Netherlands capital, Wright revealed he’s hugely altered his eating habits since the middle of the year and lost three stones in weight.
He said: “To be honest, not eating. Just eating once a day. Exercise, walking. I feel really fit. A hundred times better. I just feel more focused and I can’t wait for the way I feel to come out in my darts.
“In my head, I don’t think I need to be playing all the time and on the road to keep sharp. Playing the best players does help, but it doesn’t help with old age and travelling. It’s tiring being at the top for so long.
“In a way, yeah, I miss all the fans and going around the world, representing the PDC. But at the same time, I haven’t missed it.
“The game is there. Look at my match against [Luke] Humphries at the Worlds last year, the European Championship I won, the Euro Tour where I beat [Luke] Littler in Hildesheim. Those individual games are still there. But it’s the week after week, over and over. That’s the tricky thing.
“What am I going to do after darts? I’ve no idea. I want to be that first one to win a million and be a three-time Scottish World Champion.”
However, despite the new look and the freshness, Wright was unable to muster much of his old magic and was punished by Menzies.
The improving 36-year-old is rising up the PDC World Rankings and currently sits just outside the Top 32 having turned full-time earlier in the year.
Menzies had the right shots at the right time against his compatriot with a key 140 finishing to reclaim the lead at 4-3 a pivotal moment in the match which led to his surge towards the finishing line.