TERRY Jenkins completed his inaugural season in the Holsten Premier Darts League with a play-off final spot against unbeaten champion Phil Taylor.
Taylor, however, proved he is still the man to beat as he claimed his third successive league title with a 16-6 win at the Brighton Centre.
The 13-time World Champion extended his incredible unbeaten record in the tournament to 44 matches over the three-year history of the event.
He defeated Dennis Priestley 11-6 in the semi-finals before then overcoming Jenkins in the decider to claim the £75,000 title.
In a repeat of his semi-final performance, Taylor's mid-game burst again proved too hard for the Ledbury thrower to handle as he surged from 3-3 to 7-3 in the blink of an eye.
He then stormed to the title with six unanswered legs to repeat his 2006 World Grand Prix win over Jenkins and pick up yet another trophy.
Jenkins overcame the odds to defeat current World Champion Raymond van Barneveld 11-10 in his semi-final.
Van Barneveld fought back from 10-6 down to send the tie into a deciding leg, but fell at the last four stage for a second successive year.
Jenkins claimed £40,000 as the runner-up, the biggest payday of his career.
"It's obviously disappointing to lose but I've loved being a part of the Premier League," he said.
"It's been a great tournament and I'm delighted that I reached the final."
A 161 finish in the 11th leg of the final - beating his earlier 128 - also brought Jenkins the night's highest checkout and a bonus of £1,000.
In his semi-final, Jenkins put himself in touching distance of the final storming into a 9-5 lead.
The reigning World Champion hit back and levelled matters at ten-all to send the match into an unlikely decider after Jenkins missed nine darts for victory. Jenkins though held his nerve to claim his first league play-off final spot.
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