Steve Sutcliffe
BBC Sport snooker journalist

Image source, Getty Images

Kyren Wilson’s World Championship triumph in May seemed like a moment long in the making.

The Englishman entered the tournament under the radar after a disappointing campaign in which he had to deal with difficult family issues away from the table.

Yet he was a deserving winner after producing arguably the best snooker of his career in what is considered the sport’s ultimate test – with his stirring celebration one of the most heartwarming moments of the year.

His later form also helped shape the narrative of this term, with his growing rivalry with Judd Trump potentially defining the sport for the next decade.

While Wilson beat his compatriot in the finals of the Xi’an Grand Prix and the Northern Ireland Open, Trump remains ahead of Wilson, and everyone else for that matter, in the world rankings.

His success at the UK Championship earlier this month – after beating Wilson in the last four – saw his winnings rise north of £1m this season and only underlined his status as man to beat at the second Triple Crown event – ​​the Masters – in January. .

However, in a season where Neil Robertson returned to the winner’s circle, three Chinese players won ranking events and Ronnie O’Sullivan, John Higgins and Mark Williams are still going strong, the predictions are insane in this sport.