£5m winner wished for lottery luck on a shooting star

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Following the age-old superstition Matthew, 20, made a wish. For a pint of beer.

Paul, 51, had higher ambitions and asked the Lottery Fairy for a decent-sized win.

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Rugby fans Paul and Denise Hardacre celebrate their win at the Millennium Stadium

Matthew is still waiting for his pint while his father ponders what to buy with £4,986,272 after scooping the jackpot in Saturday's draw.

"I decided to follow the tradition and wish for a lottery win," Paul said at the family home in Street, Somerset.

"Since then I've had a run of luck, winning £10, finding a £10 note and then the jackpot - I can't believe it."

Delighted Matthew said: "I wished for a pint and dad wished for the lottery - I'm glad he won!"

Paul, a pub chef, went to work the day after his win, as did his wife Denise, 46, a supervisor in a bakery. But they're planning a life of ease - and rugby.

The couple, both originally from Cardiff, are diehard Welsh rugby fans and were presented with their near-£5million cheque by scrum-half legend Gareth Edwards at the Millennium Stadium.

"It would be nice to be able to watch them in the World Cup final in Paris - but the odds against that happening are greater than winning the lottery," said Paul.

His wife told how they almost missed the jackpot because she wanted to watch the Wales v Argentina rugby match on TV last Saturday.

"I left a note on the kitchen table reminding Paul to do the lottery but he didn't have time," she said.

"There were only a few minutes to go before the match started and it was pouring down with rain. It was a toss-up whether I would buy one at all.

"But Sainsbury's is only a few minutes from the house so I ran down there in the rain and bought the ticket. It's the smartest thing I've ever done.

"The best thing now is that we will be able to spend more time together. Paul works split shifts and I started work at 4am every day so we hardly see one another."

The couple have their eye on a bigger house and a holiday "anywhere sunny".

Matthew, a trainee chef, still has more down-to-earth dreams.

He's just hoping his parents will buy him another Vauxhall Corsa to replace the one he crunched in an accident.