TERRY Jenkins celebrated his 52nd birthday in style by winning the Players Championship.

The Ledbury ace beat Peter Wright 6-4 in the final to earn his first tournament win in 16 months.

But Jenkins made life tough for himself, with some early-round hiccups.

He only managed to overcome Jim Walker and Colin Lloyd in last-leg deciders before beating his best friend Andy Smith 6-3.

Another 6-3 win followed against Daryl Gurney before Jenkins brushed aside Brendan Dolan 6-1 in the quarter-finals.

Kim Heybrechts was then disposed of 7-4 in the semi-final, despite the Belgian having an average points score of 100.

Jenkins took control in the final, racing into a 4-1 win, with an excellent average of 118.

A third 180 took Jenkins to the brink at 5-2, and although he missed his dart to win the match, he wasn't going to be denied.

A 127 finish from Wright reduced the deficit to 5-4 before Jenkins coolly wrapped up proceedings in the 10th leg.

"I'm not sure what I expected at the start of the day to be honest but I felt really good and yes, it was long overdue, so the perfect birthday present," said Jenkins.