A LOTTERY syndicate from a York club has had its festive celebrations sweetened by a £76,000 Lottery windfall.

Members discovered their win while celebrating Christmas in the Groves Working Men's Club, in Penley's Grove Street.

The team of three - Melvyn Thompson, Dave Breslin and Teresa Scott - matched five numbers and the bonus ball as Saturday's National Lottery draw was made.

But they didn't discover their riches until the next day.

"I'd only caught a couple of the lottery numbers, so I went to my nearest shop on Sunday to get a readout of the winning numbers," said Melvyn.

"I took it to the club and asked my friend to check the ticket for me. I was totally bowled over when he confirmed we'd won."

Melvyn says he plans to put his share towards buying a new house.

The winning ticket was bought from the Spar shop at Clifton Green.

Updated: 15:08 Friday, December 28, 2001