Five things we learned at the Crucible

1 Minimum for a maximum

Twenty years ago the prize was £147,000 for a maximum break, and it was worth pulling out all the stops to stay on the black. This year it was down to just £5,000 and that made players perhaps more reluctant to chase the feat, making sure of frames rather than targeting the crowd-pleasing 147. According to Barry Hearn, the World Snooker chairman, the sixfigure rewards belong in the past. Maybe so too are Crucible 147s, the last having come in 2012. 2 Rein it in, reap the rewards

Judd Trump said on the eve of the tournament it was his time to step up and lift the trophy. “Now I’m ready for it, my mindset is there and it’s about being as mentally tough off the table as you are on the table,” said the 2011 runner-up. He was talking a bold, big game, yet against all odds lost to rank outsider Rory McLeod in the first round. A little confidence is fine, but the supremely talented Trump might benefit next year from making a more understated start to his stay in Sheffield, rather than putting immediate pressure on himself. 3 China’s day will come

The snooker boom in the Far East has yet to see the region produce a world champion, but surely it won’t be long now. Ding Junhui is knocking hard on the door, and pushed Mark Selby hard in their semi-final, while 17-year-old Yan Bingtao gave Shaun Murphy a major fright in the first round. Yan became the first player born this century to appear at the Crucible, and he looks a remarkable player. 4 Class is permanent

John Higgins feared his days of challenging at the Crucible were over after a run of dismal defeats, but over the past two years he has found champion class again, and his run was a welcome reminder that the Scot at his best is a treat to watch. He turns 42 later this month and was the oldest finalist since 49-year-old Ray Reardon lost to Alex Higgins in 1982. 5 Give peace a chance

Ronnie O’Sullivan’s claims of bullying and intimidation against World Snooker and its chairman Hearn made for an eye-catching story, but the rift between the pair cannot be allowed to last. It centres on a disciplinary dispute, with Hearn flatly rejecting O’Sullivan’s accusations, and snooker’s most powerful man and the sport’s figurehead player need to resolve their differences.