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Updated Fermanagh's Brendan Dolan advances at World Darts Championship, Cameron Menzies apologises after punching table

Brendan Dolan is congratulated by Tavis Dudeney after his win
Brendan Dolan is congratulated by Tavis Dudeney after his win

Brendan Dolan became the first Irish player to navigate the first hurdle at the World Darts Championship after a tricky 3-1 win over England's Tavis Dudeney.

The nerves were on show in a horrible opening leg, eventually going the way of the underdog, but the Fermanagh man soon found his rhythm and won three legs on the trot to take the first set.

The key moment came at the end of the second set with the score 2-2 and both sitting on 170. Dolan was first up and checked out to send the Ally Pally wild in Monday’s opening match.

With no breaks in the third set, Dudeney, who had the throw, was able to halve the advantage, but Dolan won the fourth set 3-1 to advance to set up a second-round clash with England’s Ryan Searle.

Cameron Menzies issued an apology after punching a table in frustration following his 3-2 defeat to Charlie Manby

Scot Menzies had led twice in the match as he took the opening set before going 2-1 up, but 20-year-old Manby fought back before he finally pinned double one after both men had missed match darts.

As Manby went off to celebrate, Menzies was unable to keep a lid on his frustration – turning to violently punch the underside of the table three times, causing the water bottles to fall off as the crowd booed.

Menzies was visibly upset while congratulating his opponent and held his hands up to apologise to the crowd before walking off stage.

Pictures showed he had a bloody gash on his right hand, and he was treated by on-site medics.

It is the second time in as many years that Menzies has been knocked out in the first round after he broke down in tears during and following his exit to Leonard Gates last December.

Menzies later apologised for his "emotional" reaction, revealing the death of his uncle and the upcoming funeral had been on his mind.

"First of all, I would like to apologise for what happened. I'm sorry that I reacted in the manner that I did," Menzies said in a statement.

"It’s not an excuse, but I have had a lot of things on my mind and I suppose it all just became too much at the end.

LONDON, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 15: Cameron Menzies of Scotland walks off the stage with a deep cut sustained on his right fist after punching the drinks stand in anger after losing to Charlie Manby of England during day five of the 2025/26 Paddy Power World Darts Championship at Alexandra Palace on Dece
Cameron Menzies injured his hand after punching the water table

"It’s not been an easy time for me with my uncle Gary passing away recently. I saw him four days before he died and he gave me a look which told me how much he thought of me.

"Had I won the game, my second match would have been on the day of Gary’s funeral and that hasn’t been lost on me.

"Let me say again, that’s no excuse for what I did. It was the wrong thing to do and I don’t want it to take anything away from Charlie. He played well.

"This is not how I would like people to view me."

Professional Darts Corporation chief executive Matt Porter said in a statement: "I spoke with Cameron and his management before he left the venue and he knows there is support available from the PDC and the PDPA (Professional Darts Players Association).

"Any incident of this nature is reported to the Darts Regulation Authority for review, but our main priority is the player’s health and wellbeing."

The PDPA has been contacted for comment.

Former two-time world champion Peter Wright later closed out the afternoon session with a 3-0 win over Noa-Lynn van Leuven.

Mensur Suljovic saw off Canadian David Cameron 3-1.

There was little drama in the evening session, as fifth seed Jonny Clayton ground out a 3-1 win over debutant Adam Lipscombe, while Dutchman Dirk van Duijvenbode hit eight maximums and landed a 170 checkout during a high-quality 3-2 win over former WDF world champion Andy Baetens.

Germany’s Max Hopp had earlier seen off Martin Lukeman 3-1 and then in the final match of the night, Connor Scutt held off a fightback by 2010 runner-up Simon Whitlock to win 3-2 and move into the next round.

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