AN OXFORD University mathematician has won the world’s biggest fantasy football competition – with the help of a former Oxford United captain.
Joshua Bull's team The Bulldozers finished top of the 2019/20 Fantasy Premier League after previous victor Aleksandor Antonov was stripped of the title for a ‘breach of terms’.
The 29-year-old supports United’s Sky Bet League One rivals Ipswich Town and admitted he rarely watches matches from England’s top flight.
Yet some inspired picks for his team, which was awarded points based on players' performances, saw him triumph.
While Southampton striker Danny Ings and Burnley goalkeeper Nick Pope received special mentions, Mr Bull reserved special praise for ex-U’s skipper John Lundstram, now at Sheffield United.
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He said: “I didn’t know him before the start of the season, but there was talk that those players were going to be a real bargain. He’s going to go down in fantasy football history.”
Mr Bull, an academic specialising in applying mathematics to cancer research, added: “I wish I had a formula – I was trying to think strategically but that was based more on what other people were saying.
“I don’t normally watch the Premier League, so I didn’t see a game live until about Christmas.”
His rewards include a seven-night break in the UK and two VIP tickets to a game next season.
But Mr Bull said the ‘main prize’ was winning his family’s mini-league, which he only started taking seriously this year.
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