Hunter edged out Fergal O'Brien in a nailbiting finale to secure only his second major title.

Proud father Alan was among the first people to congratulate the new champion.

He held his son's arm aloft in a victory salute before a sell-out crowd of almost 2,500, most of whom stayed to watch the final stages of the drama unfold.

"To add my name to this trophy is a dream come true," the new champion enthused.

"I perhaps haven't fulfilled my potential but I'm only 22 and hopefully there are a lot more titles left in me."

"When I knocked out defending champion Matthew Stevens in my first match, I thought to myself I could win this title."

His win made up for the disappointment of losing to Ken Doherty just two weeks ago in the Welsh Open final at Cardiff.

"Early on I couldn't keep my concentration together but I had a lot of support out there and I wanted to win it for my supporters," he continued. "They were fantastic."

O'Brien meanwhile was left to suffer the same fate as his compatriot Ken Doherty who had lost in the Wembley final for the past two seasons.

"I missed a red in the 11th frame when I had a good chance to go 8-3 up," said the disappointed Irishman.

"If that had gone in and I'd have won the frame I think I would have gone on to take the title.

"It's disappointing to lose like I did but I've had a great week and beaten some fantastic players.

"I was a little tired but that's not an excuse. But I'll replay some of those misses in the last frame for some time to come."