MENZIES: MY EMOTIONS ARE MY BIGGEST ENEMY
17/04/2026 By Aaron Nijjar
CAMERON MENZIES admitted “my emotions are my biggest enemy” after keeping them in check to dispatch Raymond van Barneveld.
The Scot blew Barney away 6-3 at the European Darts Grand Prix with a brilliant 104.50 average and four 180s in round one.
It marked a major turnaround for Cammy, who had endured a frustrating start to the year without reaching a ProTour quarter-final.
But after working this season with the same hypnotherapist as UFC fighter Tom Aspinall, the 35-year-old finally found the stability he has been searching for on the oche.
He said: “It was one of those games where I just felt in control of my emotions and darts, which is where I want to be more.
“My emotions are usually my biggest enemy. I felt absolutely tremendous there and it showed.
“I wish I could be there all the time, but I can’t. I just felt great and I feel sorry for Barney because I met him on the flight over and we had a laugh.
“Every time I play Barney, I think I have played out of my skin, so I’m not on the Christmas card this year.
“I don’t think I have ever played bad against Barney. I love and respect him. I have told him that. He was a hero of mine growing up.
“It is arguably my best game of the year and I just felt absolutely perfect. Every time he was hitting stuff, I didn’t care.
“It’s a feeling you can’t really describe, but when he was hitting 140s and 180s, I was like, okay.
“Usually I am like ‘bugger, bugger, bugger’. I just felt great and I wish I could feel like that all the time.
“But unfortunately, I can’t.”
Menzies now faces Ross Smith in round two at Sindelfingen as he looks to build on one of his best performances of the season.
Image by Taylor Lanning.
