TERRY JENKINS ended a three-year wait for a tournament victory with a 6-3 defeat of Andy Hamilton to win Saturday's Speedy Services UK Open Qualifier Seven in Birmingham.
The world number ten, appearing in his first ranking final for almost a year, claimed the £6,000 winner's cheque at the NIA Community Hall in Birmingham and produced some superb darts along the way.
He dropped only one leg in wins over Paul Rowley and Jon Bott in the opening two rounds before defeating Kim Huybrechts 6-4 despite the Belgian hitting a nine-dart finish.
Jenkins then saw off Colin Osborne 6-1 and defeated Colin Lloyd 6-2 to reach the semi-finals, where he held off a Dave Chisnall fightback to win 6-5.
Jenkins led throughout in the final against Hamilton, winning the first leg with an 80 finish before punishing seven missed doubles from his opponent to lead 2-0.
The pair traded 180s as Jenkins won the third in 13 darts, before Hamilton posted double 16 to get off the mark in leg four.
Double 19 gave Jenkins the fifth, with Hamilton posting another 180 in a 14-darter to take his second leg of the match before the Ledbury man replied in 14 darts to move 5-2 up.
Hamilton opened the next with five perfect darts in scores of 177 and 140, before he took out 120 for a 12-darter to stay in the game.
The pair then traded 180s in leg nine, but Jenkins proved the stronger and finished double ten to secure the triumph, his first since winning the Bobby Bourn Memorial Players Championship in January 2009.
"It feels really good," said Jenkins. "I'm feeling a lot more comfortable within myself and I came here this weekend confident that I could win one of these events.
"I came here in the right frame of mind, and slowed my game down again to play at my pace, and it seemed to work. It's a win that I really needed."
Hamilton was chasing his first ranking title since 2007 but had to settle for the £3,000 runner-up prize in his first ProTour final for almost two years.
The Stoke ace took victories over Scottish pair Gary Anderson and Robert Thornton in Birmingham, as well as seeing off Kevin Painter 6-3 in a dress rehearsal for their decisive McCoy's Premier League Darts clash in Newcastle next Thursday.
Painter's run included a fine comeback win over Dean Winstanley after he dropped only three legs in his first three games, as he went on to reach his first semi-final of 2012.
Chisnall was the day's other semi-finalist, as the emerging star from St Helens defeated World Champion Adrian Lewis, former World Championship finalists Mark Dudbridge and Kirk Shepherd, Andy Smith and young duo James Hubbard and Shaun Griffiths.
Manchester's Griffiths reached his second quarter-final of the year, while Norfolk's Andrew Gilding reached the last eight for the first time since he turned professional after winning a Tour Card in January.
Thornton and Lloyd were the day's other quarter-finalists, while a run to the last 16 for Mark Webster eased his fears of missing out on qualification for June's UK Open televised finals, where he was a semi-finalist last year.
Huybrechts' nine-darter earned him a £400 bonus as he achieved a perfect leg for the first time since turning professional last year, with the achievement also being the 11th in a PDC event so far in 2012.
Sunday sees the eighth and final UK Open Qualifier held in Birmingham, with the leading 96 players (plus ties) then qualifying to compete in the UK Open televised finals in Bolton next month.
Speedy Services UK Open Qualifier Seven
Saturday May 5, Community Hall, NIA Birmingham
Preliminary Round
Michael Smith 6-4 Ted Hankey
Stuart White 6-5 Fred Smith
Toon Greebe 6-1 Mike Veitch
Barrie Bates 6-5 Mark Frost
Adrian Lewis 6-3 Michael Barnard
James Hubbard 6-4 Mark Jones
Mark Walsh 6-2 Steven Pearson
Dave Chisnall 6-5 Mark Dudbridge
Kirk Shepherd 6-1 Tom Jones
Lee Whitworth 6-5 Ashley Holgate
Richie Howson 6-1 Ian Moss
Peter Evison 6-4 Matthew Edgar
Jelle Klaasen 6-0 Stefanie Luck
Andy Relf 6-4 Keegan Brown
Mick Todd 6-2 Andy Firth
Alex Roy 6-5 Paul Nicholson
Vincent van der Voort 6-0 Daniel Bunker
John Turnbull 6-3 Mark Stephenson
Justin Pipe 6-2 Stephen Hardy
James Wade 6-3 Matt Clark
Dave Honey 6-5 Adam Hunt
Joey Palfreyman 6-2 Nigel Heydon
Mervyn King 6-3 Steve Evans
Chris Thompson 6-5 Dennis Smith
Connie Finnan 6-2 Steve West
Patrick Pace 6-2 Keith Rooney
Philip Wathen 6-4 Peter Hughes
John Bowles 6-2 Dave Ladley
Kim Huybrechts 6-0 Les Wallace
Gary Butcher 6-2 Tony Tasker
Peter Wright 6-0 Neville Roberts
Keith Stephen 6-5 Wayne Atwood
Steve Farmer 6-2 Geoff Whitworth
Colin Osborne 6-5 Antonio Alcinas
Michael Rosenauer 6-2 Adrian Bolitho
Dennis Priestley 6-4 Liam Kelly
Mark Webster 6-0 Paul Barham
Wes Newton 6-4 Steve Brown
Mark Lawrence 6-1 Nathan Richards
Aaron Turner 6-4 Jim Walker
Nigel Birch 6-3 Matthew Tedstone
Robert Thornton 6-2 Craig Pope
Gary Anderson 6-5 Andrew Cornwall
Co Stompe 6-5 Steve Hine
Daniel Starkey 6-2 Matthew Dicken
Ian White 6-5 Adrian Gray
Richie Walsh 6-1 Dave Kelly
Dyson Parody 6-2 Ian Jopling
Stuart Kellett 6-4 Mick McGowan
Michael van Gerwen 6-3 Johnny Haines
Peter Hudson 6-5 Reece Robinson
Andy Turnbull 6-2 Matthew Waddoups
Martyn Turner 6-5 Steven Barrow
Simon Whitlock 6-0 Lee White
Ronnie Baxter 6-2 Chris Aubrey
Mark Hylton 6-4 Ross Smith
Scott Rand 6-0 Wayne Jones
Andrew Gilding 6-1 Joe Cullen
Adam Smith-Neale 6-1 Damien Sherwood
Kevin Painter 6-5 Gino Vos
Prakash Jiwa 6-1 Ryan Harrington
Jamie Lewis 6-4 Andrew Hibbert
Brendan Dolan 6-2 Dave Smith
Brian Woods 6-2 Andrew Palmer
Bernd Roith 6-0 Danny Summers
Darren Johnson 6-4 John Henderson
First Round
John Scott 6-3 Nick Fullwell
Michael Smith 6-4 James Thompson
Toon Greebe 6-3 Stuart White
Adrian Lewis 6-3 Barrie Bates
John Part 6-4 Andy Pearce
Andy Smith 6-1 Lee Butler
James Hubbard 6-1 Mark Walsh
Dave Chisnall 6-4 Kirk Shepherd
Shaun Griffiths 6-3 Jerry Hendriks
Anthony Littleton 6-4 Wayne Pepper
Richie Howson 6-4 Lee Whitworth
Jelle Klaasen 6-1 Peter Evison
Devon Petersen 6-2 Christopher Dale
Andy Brown 6-2 Karl Forrington
Mick Todd 6-2 Andy Relf
Alex Roy 6-4 Vincent van der Voort
Colin Lloyd 6-4 Darrell Claydon
Andy Jenkins 6-2 John Turnbull
James Wade 6-5 Justin Pipe
Dave Honey 6-5 Joey Palfreyman
Daniel Day 6-2 Darren Williams
Paddy Meaney 6-5 Richie Burnett
Mervyn King 6-2 Chris Thompson
Patrick Pace 6-4 Connie Finnan
Jon Bott 6-0 Martin Perring
Terry Jenkins 6-1 Paul Rowley
Philip Wathen 6-4 John Bowles
Kim Huybrechts 6-3 Gary Butcher
Chris Mason 6-0 Joe Thompson
Steve Beaton 6-0 Peter Manley
Keith Stephen 6-0 Peter Wright
Colin Osborne 6-3 Steve Farmer
Darren Webster 6-1 Gareth Pass
Alan Tabern 6-3 William O'Connor
Michael Rosenauer 6-1 Dennis Priestley
Mark Webster 6-4 Wes Newton
Brandon Walsh 6-3 Roland Scholten
Michael Mansell 6-3 Darren Whittingham
Mark Lawrence 6-5 Aaron Turner
Robert Thornton 6-0 Nigel Birch
Gaz Cousins 6-3 Dylan Duo
Joe Murnan 6-0 Aden Kirk
Gary Anderson 6-3 Co Stompe
Ian White 6-4 Daniel Starkey
Magnus Caris 6-2 Matt Padgett
Andy Hamilton 6-1 James Young
Dyson Parody 6-4 Richie Walsh
Stuart Kellett 6-4 Michael van Gerwen
James Richardson 6-2 Andrew Johnson
Jamie Caven 6-5 Josh Jones
Peter Hudson 6-5 Andy Turnbull
Simon Whitlock 6-2 Martyn Turner
Mareno Michels 6-2 Tony West
Arron Monk 6-3 Kevin McDine
Mark Hylton 6-4 Ronnie Baxter
Andrew Gilding 6-3 Scott Rand
Sam Hill 6-4 Michael Peel
Steve Grubb 6-3 Carlos Rodriguez
Kevin Painter 6-1 Adam Smith-Neale
Jamie Lewis 6-2 Prakash Jiwa
Dean Winstanley 6-4 Steve Maish
Darren Latham 6-4 Denis Ovens
Brendan Dolan 6-4 Brian Woods
Darren Johnson 6-3 Bernd Roith
Second Round
Michael Smith 6-3 John Scott
Adrian Lewis 6-4 Toon Greebe
Andy Smith 6-3 John Part
Dave Chisnall 6-5 James Hubbard
Shaun Griffiths 6-5 Anthony Littleton
Richie Howson 6-5 Jelle Klaasen
Devon Petersen 6-4 Andy Brown
Alex Roy 6-5 Mick Todd
Colin Lloyd 6-4 Andy Jenkins
James Wade 6-2 Dave Honey
Daniel Day 6-3 Paddy Meaney
Mervyn King 6-1 Patrick Pace
Terry Jenkins 6-0 Jon Bott
Kim Huybrechts 6-1 Philip Wathen
Steve Beaton 6-3 Chris Mason
Colin Osborne 6-1 Keith Stephen
Darren Webster 6-3 Alan Tabern
Mark Webster 6-3 Michael Rosenauer
Michael Mansell 6-3 Brandon Walsh
Robert Thornton 6-2 Mark Lawrence
Gaz Cousins 6-4 Joe Murnan
Gary Anderson 6-3 Ian White
Andy Hamilton 6-2 Magnus Caris
Stuart Kellett 6-4 Dyson Parody
Jamie Caven 6-1 James Richardson
Simon Whitlock 6-3 Peter Hudson
Mareno Michels 6-4 Arron Monk
Andrew Gilding 6-5 Mark Hylton
Steve Grubb 6-5 Sam Hill
Kevin Painter 6-0 Jamie Lewis
Dean Winstanley 6-4 Darren Latham
Brendan Dolan 6-1 Darren Johnson
Losers £200
Third Round
Adrian Lewis 6-5 Michael Smith
Dave Chisnall 6-2 Andy Smith
Shaun Griffiths 6-3 Richie Howson
Devon Petersen 6-1 Alex Roy
Colin Lloyd 6-0 James Wade
Mervyn King 6-3 Daniel Day
Terry Jenkins 6-4 Kim Huybrechts - Kim Huybrechts hits nine-dart finish
Colin Osborne 6-4 Steve Beaton
Mark Webster 6-4 Darren Webster
Robert Thornton 6-4 Michael Mansell
Gary Anderson 6-1 Gaz Cousins
Andy Hamiton 6-5 Stuart Kellett
Simon Whitlock 6-5 Jamie Caven
Andrew Gilding 6-2 Mareno Michels
Kevin Painter 6-2 Steve Grubb
Dean Winstanley 6-2 Brendan Dolan
Losers £400
Fourth Round
Dave Chisnall 6-2 Adrian Lewis
Shaun Griffiths 6-2 Devon Petersen
Colin Lloyd 6-1 Mervyn King
Terry Jenkins 6-1 Colin Osborne
Robert Thornton 6-5 Mark Webster
Andy Hamilton 6-4 Gary Anderson
Andrew Gilding 6-5 Simon Whitlock
Kevin Painter 6-5 Dean Winstanley
Losers £600
Quarter-Finals
Dave Chisnall 6-3 Shaun Griffiths
Terry Jenkins 6-2 Colin Lloyd
Andy Hamilton 6-2 Robert Thornton
Kevin Painter 6-3 Andrew Gilding
Losers £1,000
Semi-Finals
Terry Jenkins 6-5 Dave Chisnall
Andy Hamilton 6-3 Kevin Painter
Losers £2,000
Final
Terry Jenkins 6-3 Andy Hamilton
Winner £6,000
Runner-Up £3,000
Final - Leg-By-Leg
0-0 - Terry Jenkins wins the bull and will throw first.
1-0 - Jenkins punishes a slow start from Hamilton to win the opening leg comfortably, taking out 80 on tops for a 15-darter.
2-0 - Jenkins opens with a 180 against the throw and matches Hamilton's 140, and when the World Championship finalist misses seven darts at doubles to win the leg he steps in to finish double four to break.
3-0 - Hamilton opens with a 180, but Jenkins scores 100, 140 and 180 and returns from initially missing double 12 and six to finish 81 to post double three.
3-1 - Hamilton finishes 52 on double 16 to win his first leg of the final.
4-1 - Jenkins finishes double 19 with a pressure third dart to regain a three-leg lead, with Hamilton waiting on 40.
4-2 - Hamilton opens with scores of 180, 135 and 100, and finishes double eight for a 14-darter to hit back.
5-2 - Jenkins leaves 40 after 12 darts, and finishes tops to move a leg away from victory with a 14-darter.
5-3 - Hamilton opens up with five perfect darts with scores of 177 and 140, and takes out 120 for a 12-darter to stay in the contest.
6-3 - The players trade 180s following low-scoring opening visits, before Jenkins seals victory on double ten.
The Speedy Services UK Open will be held from June 7-10 in the Premier Suite at De Vere Whites in Bolton.
Tickets can still be purchased by calling 0844 871 8807 or by visiting the SeeTickets website to book online.