CAMERON MENZIES landed the biggest win of his darts career – after flipping the infamous ‘Scotland gets battered’ chant on its head.
The Rangers-mad arrows ace recorded a nail-biting 10-9 win over James Wade to reach the quarter-finals of the Grand Slam for the first time.
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Menzies, 35, is enjoying a breakout year on the circuit this season having won his maiden title in the PDC Players Championship series just last month.
The Scot, who is in a relationship with fellow darts star Fellon Sherrock, claimed victory over Englishman Wade in a crucial last-leg decider but had been cruising at one point, winning the first five legs.
He sunk to his knees upon hitting double tops to seal the win before leaping to his feet and bursting into a fit of raw emotion to celebrate.
Menzies had been taunted by the English crowd at Aldersley Leisure Village in Wolverhampton for much of the contest, with regular chants of “Scotland get battered, everywhere they go”.
But he used the provocation to his advantage and gave the crowd a bit back – even if he then admitted after the match that he was PRAYING he would hold on for the win.
Menzies said: “I don’t know how to explain that. I won the first five legs before break 3-2.
“I get the whole ‘Scotland get battered’. I love you guys, I expect that.
“I don’t know what happened there but I’ve never hoped for a dart more in my life.
“That wasn’t confidence, that was just praying to things I didn’t know existed. I am ecstatic.
“I don’t deal with this very well. To get involved with the crowd is my mentality thing. I don’t do it in a bad way, I’m just a nervous wreck.”
Menzies works as a plumber and joked he will need to think about asking for time off.
He said: “I think I’ve got someone looking over me at the moment. I’m carrying a bit of luck.
“I might have to phone in sick tomorrow!”
Menzies, who only just scraped through the group stages, will play Northern Irishman Mickey Mansell in the quarter-finals later this week.
If he wins that match he could face former world champion Rob Cross or any one of Martin Lukeman, Ross Smith or Ritchie Edhouse.
The other side of the draw includes teenage sensation Luke Littler and another former world champ, Menzies’ countryman Gary Anderson.
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