A system for operating a single acting hydraulic cylinder includes a directional valve that has one extreme position in which a workport is connected to a tank return conduit, another extreme position where the workport is connected to a pump supply conduit, and a closed intermediate a position where the workport is disconnected from both the pump and the tank. The directional valve is pilot operated and is biased toward the one extreme position by a spring. An electrically operated primary applies pilot pressure to the directional valve alternately from the pump supply conduit and the tank return conduit. A pilot operated check valve has a first state which restricts fluid flow only from the workport toward the chamber and a second state in which fluid can flows from the chamber to the workport. The system has a pressure compensation that also provides self priming of the directional valve.