The Sports Guru
A world number two just lost his opening match at the World Matchplay, and the man who beat him is famous for wearing every emotion on his face. Read on to find out how Cameron Menzies turned a match that swung wildly in both directions into the biggest win of his career, and what it means for the rest of the Blackpool draw.
Cameron Menzies has spent his career being defined by what shows on his face. On Monday night at the Winter Gardens, what showed was a 170 checkout that ended the World Matchplay campaign of world number two Luke Humphries and handed the Scot a win on the stage he had, by his own admission, never previously conquered. The final score read 10-7. The route there tells you far more about why it mattered.
A Shock Built On Swings, Not A Straight Line
Menzies took an early 3-2 lead with what Sky Sports described as a double-double 129 finish, the kind of scoring that hints at danger for a top seed. Humphries, the 2024 champion, answered in style: six consecutive breaks of throw, capped by a 167 checkout on the bull, levelled the match immediately after the first interval. It was a response that briefly made the contest look exactly as expected.
Menzies then produced a four-leg burst to move 7-3 clear, the kind of lead that ordinarily settles a match against a player without a Winter Gardens win to his name. It did not settle anything. Sky Sports reported that Menzies won only one of the next five legs, meaning Humphries collected the other four, dragging the world number two back into contention and giving the Empress Ballroom crowd a match that had already changed direction twice.
It was into that pressure that Menzies delivered the 170 checkout that sealed it, a finish big enough to raise the Winter Gardens roof and end the tie 10-7. He now goes on to face Ross Smith in round two.
The Composure Behind The Chaos
Sky Sports pundit Wayne Mardle framed the win not as a fluke but as evidence of something Menzies had not shown before. "It's his best ever win, and he mentioned that," Mardle said, before describing a match that swung from being broken early twice to a run of legs and then being pegged back again. His conclusion was blunt: "He knows he can handle anything now."
That reading matters because Menzies has long been characterised, including by himself, as a player whose emotions can work against him under pressure. Monday's win did not remove that volatility. It came from managing it through a genuinely chaotic scoreline rather than despite it.
Menzies In His Own Words
The relief was evident in Menzies' reaction afterwards. "No one gave me hope! I didn't give myself hope but I finally won a game at the Winter Gardens," he said, confirming this was his first win at the venue.
He was equally candid about the nerves that arrived once the 7-3 cushion started to slip. "At 7-3 I was just trying not to think of that finishing line but the nerves kicked in," he admitted, adding that Humphries "gave me a lot of stress at doubles" before he called it his biggest win to date.
What's Next For Menzies
Menzies' reward is a second-round meeting with Ross Smith, who had his own scare on the same night. Smith led debutant Kevin Doets 5-0 early, only for the Dutchman to fire a 104.19 average and a stunning 161 checkout to keep himself in the contest. Smith held his nerve, taking out a 160 and closing the match with a 120 Shanghai finish to win 10-6.
Price Survives, Cross Cruises
Elsewhere on the Winter Gardens stage, former World Matchplay finalist Gerwyn Price needed an extra-time escape act of his own. Trailing 4-0 and then 6-2 to German number one Martin Schindler, Price fought back to win 11-9. His own assessment afterwards was withering: "That was the worst I've played all season... I've got no confidence at the minute because I haven't played a lot." Price now faces Rob Cross, who eased through his own opener with a 10-3 win over Danny Noppert, leading 5-0 at the break and finishing with a 97.41 average, a 128 checkout and 52.6 per cent on the doubles.
The Rest Of The Card
Monday's shocks arrived alongside more familiar form elsewhere in the draw. Two-time world champion Luke Littler opened his defence of the Phil Taylor Trophy with a 10-6 win over Niko Springer and now meets Nathan Aspinall on Tuesday. Also in Tuesday's evening session, three-time World Matchplay winner Michael van Gerwen faces fellow Dutchman Dirk van Duijvenbode, while 2018 champion Gary Anderson takes on 2023 runner-up Jonny Clayton on the back of a 10-2 win over Ryan Joyce in which he averaged 109.96 - the eighth-highest average in World Matchplay history. Stephen Bunting takes on Josh Rock having survived three match darts to edge past debutant Niels Zonneveld 13-12.
Against that backdrop of champions moving through as expected, Menzies' win stands out precisely because it did not follow the script. The question now is whether a player who admits he hates how much emotion he shows can carry Monday's composure into a second-round tie against a man who has already survived one Winter Gardens classic of his own.
Frequently Asked Questions
Menzies won 10-7 in their World Matchplay tie at the Winter Gardens on Monday 20 July 2026.
He landed an inspired 170 checkout to close out the match after Humphries had fought back from a 7-3 deficit.
Menzies faces Ross Smith, who beat debutant Kevin Doets 10-6 in his own opener.
Price trailed 4-0 and 6-2 against Martin Schindler before recovering to win 11-9, setting up a second-round match with Rob Cross.
Research: Our wider editorial research consults online reporting from BBC Sport, Sky Sports, The Guardian and other reputable sources. Story inspiration: Sky Sports' original report.
