MENZIES USES HAND WARMER TO BATTLE INJURY ISSUES

CAMERON MENZIES revealed he carries a HAND WARMER in his bag to combat the lingering effects of a painful injury.

The Scot, 35, blew Raymond van Barneveld away 6-3 at the European Darts Grand Prix with a stunning 104.50 average and four 180s in a statement first-round win on Friday evening. 

But Cammy repeatedly struck the underside of the table following a first-round defeat against Charlie Manby at the World Championships in December with blood then pouring from the wound of his swollen hand.

Menzies admits the damage done still causes problems in colder conditions, with his fingers regularly going numb and affecting his grip on the dart. 

He told Darts News: “After losing the fight with the table, I went for an operation the next day. 

“They checked the tendons and the nerves, so I was lucky not to sever any, but I did damage a few. 

“When it’s cold, I get a lot of issues, it goes numb, I get pins and needles. When it’s warm, it’s not perfect, but where I hold the dart isn’t where the nerve damage is.

“The damage is on the inside of my finger and I hold the dart on the outside, so nine times out of ten it’s fine. 

“When my hand’s cold, I get problems, it goes numb, it gets sore, pins and needles, so I keep a hand warmer in my bag. But we’re in Germany, it’s about 21 degrees, so I’m fine.” 

Menzies has endured a frustrating start to the year without reaching a ProTour quarter-final. 

The world No.28 is looking to put that right in Sindelfingen when he takes on Ross Smith for a place in round three. 

He added: “If I could play like that it’d be a different story, but darts isn’t always like that, is it?  

“We all can play good darts and bad darts, and I think my season shows how up and down it can be. 

“I love Ross Smith, we go back 20 years. I’d love to beat him and get to Sunday, because that’s where everyone wants to be in these European Tour events.  

“They’re tough to get to with all the travelling, but then you see 3,000 people out there. From playing pub leagues when I was younger to that, it’s what I dreamed of, so I can’t moan. 

“It’s a big game tomorrow against Ross. I love the guy, he’s the best, so we’ll see what happens. But today was important because I need the ranking points, so I’m glad with how I played. 

“I do feel sorry for Barney, I don’t think I’ve ever played badly against him. I think I’ve played really well every time, so I’m probably not on his Christmas card list this year.”

Image by Taylor Lanning.