DENIS OVENS admits that winning Sunday's Ireland Open Classic was one of the proudest moments of his career.
Ovens claimed his first title since 2005 with a victory over Colin Osborne in the final of the Players Championship event at Castlebar.
The win sees him jump back up the rankings from 24th to 21st, and was a huge confidence boost for the veteran professional.
"It was very enjoyable," he admitted. "If I'm honest, I was thinking that I'd never win another tournament because the game is so hard now and the standard's so high.
"But I played really well, had a little big of luck against Kevin Painter - he had a dart to beat me 3-1 in the quarters and I came back - and it was great to get past Adrian Lewis in the semis because he's been a bit of a bogey player for me.
"I've won tournaments in the 1970s, 1980s, 1990s and 2000s, and this is one of the best.
"I've reached a couple of finals over there in the last few years and lost, to Phil Taylor and Chris Mason, but it seems to be my favourite place!"
Ovens also qualified for the first round of the Bullit World Darts Trophy the previous week, losing out to Martin Adams in Utrecht.
However, the £5,000 he won in the Ireland Open Classic ensured his place in next month's SkyBet World Grand Prix in Dublin.
"I was worried at one point, but qualifying for the World Darts Trophy helped me and this is a big bonus," he added.
"If Mervyn King had won the WDT it could have pushed me out so it's a relief - especially because I was due to lose money after reaching the final of the Ireland Open Classic two years ago.
"I've been working hard in practice and playing well so I'll look forward to the World Grand Prix now - but it's hard enough getting the double to end a leg, let alone start it. It's a new challenge!"
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