Cameron Menzies won his first title of the year at Players Championship 23, beating Cristo Reyes 8-5 in the final on Monday.
The Scotsman, who previously won two ProTour titles with Leicester in 2024 and 2025, battled his way through a field of 128 players to win the £15,000 top prize at the Mattioli Arena.
The 37-year-old’s win also came with the added bonus of confirming his place in the Betfred World Matchplay in Blackpool later this month.
“It’s been a tough year. We’ve been lucky. We’ve had our struggles this year, so I think we need that.” Menzies, who spoke candidly about the hardships he faced after an emotional day at Leicester, admitted:
Menzies made headlines at the World Darts Championship in December by hitting a table after losing his opening match. The incident left him requiring hospital treatment after seriously injuring his hand.
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Cameron Menzies furiously smashed a water table with his fist following his dramatic 3-2 defeat to Charlie Manby in the World Darts Championship.
He went on to add: “I never thought I’d win one of these again. I thought it was over, I made a mistake, I let my family and friends down. It’s time to accept it.
“I honestly thought (my) darts were spiraling because I was struggling. It wasn’t my best performance and even getting through to the quarter-finals was daunting. I think I won one board final all year!
“I’m in a good place in life now, when home life is good and (your) darts are good,” Menzies said. He spoke about the benefits of having a life coach, along with the support he received at home.
The Blackpool-bound Scot started the afternoon with an impressive whitewash win over Carl Sneyd. In the process, he averaged 102 strokes.
Menzies went on to beat Nathan Potter and win another contest, this time against Norway’s Cor Dekker, without reply.
From there, the Scotland star scored a statement win over Josh Rock to secure his sixth successive victory, beating the Northern Irishman 6-3.
The World Cup semi-finalist secured his place in the final with another thrilling comeback victory over Charlie Manby and Dave Chisnall.
After enjoying a successful start to the contest, Menzies squandered several chances to extend his lead to 4-1 over the Spaniard. Reyes eventually broke up the Scotsman’s throw for a 20-darter, which briefly brought him back into the game.
Cameron Menzies won his first title of 2026.
But Menzies responded brilliantly again, winning leg on the 12th, 15th and 12th darts to extend his lead to 6-2.
In a game of twists and turns, Reyes got three legs off the spin before Menzies’ 10-darter. This leaves the Scot one leg away from the East Midlands crown.
From there, the Ayrshire ace took care of business, securing an 8-5 win over Reyes and securing his first ranking title of 2026.
Elsewhere, Joe Cullen was flawless in his clash with Jack Twddell, but his attack was the cause of defeat as Twddell cruised to a 6-3 win over the former Masters champion.
The 2026 ProTour season continues tomorrow afternoon in Leicester. The race to qualify for Betfred World Matchplay continues. Players like Damon Heta and Daryl Gurney are fighting to confirm their places while others remain in the hunt.
2026 Players Championship 23
last 16th
Cristo Reyes 6-0 William O’Connor
Daniel Ayres 6-4 Yorick Hofkens
David Sharp 6-3 Wesley Plaisier
Tom Sykes 6-2 Kim Huybrechts
Charlie Manby 6-3 Adam Warner
Cameron Menzies 6-3 Josh Rock
Christian Kist 6-4 Mike De Decker
Dave Chisnall 6-4 Ryan Searle
quarterfinal
Cristo Reyes 6-4 Daniel Ayres
David Sharp 6-4 Tom Sykes
Cameron Menzies 6-2 Charlie Manby
Dave Chisnall 6-3 Christian Kist
semifinal
Cristo Reyes 7-3 David Sharp
Cameron Menzies 7-5 Dave Chisnall
critical
Cameron Menzies 8-5 Cristo Reyes
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