Cameron Menzies delivered a monumental shock at the Winter Gardens on Monday evening, defeating World No. 2 and former champion Luke Humphries 10-7 in the first round of the 2026 Betfred World Matchplay. The World No. 27 entered Blackpool as a heavy underdog but capitalized on uncharacteristic errors from the reigning champion to secure the biggest televised victory of his PDC career. The result immediately eliminates the tournament favorite and blows the bracket wide open for the remaining field.
Menzies sealed the upset in spectacular fashion during the 17th leg. With the crowd roaring, he took out a 170 “Big Fish” checkout to close the match. Humphries actually posted a higher three-dart average at 99.56 compared to Menzies’ 97.83, but the outer ring dictated the outcome. Menzies converted 45.45% of his checkouts, while Humphries punished himself with a 30.43% success rate, according to official match statistics confirming the 10-7 scoreline.
The victory brings long-awaited redemption for Menzies at the iconic venue. During his disastrous tournament debut in 2025, he suffered a 10-2 thrashing by Danny Noppert and recorded a tournament-low 81.35 average. Beating Humphries tonight successfully ends his personal five-match losing streak against the world number two and marks his first major televised win of the 2026 season.
The win is amplified by where Menzies stood just seven months ago. In December 2025, he severely injured his throwing hand after punching a table in frustration following a first-round World Championship exit to Charlie Manby. Standing on the stage Monday, an emotional Menzies soaked in the support from the Blackpool crowd. “No one gave me hope. I didn’t give myself hope,” Menzies said, as reported in post-match interviews detailing his emotional reaction and injury recovery. “No matter what I do in my life, I will take this to my grave. I know it’s not the biggest venue in darts, but thank you so much”.