GOOD LUCK is supposed to come in threes but £100,000 Spot the Ball winner Peter Hill is more than happy with his double dose of good fortune.

The retired bus driver from Hoghton was last week given the all clear after an operation to remove a cancerous tumour from his left lung.

And today he was celebrating again after scooping the £100,000 jackpot prize on Littlewood's Spot the Ball competition.

Now the father-of-four is waiting to see whether Lady Luck will shine her light on him again tonight in the first midweek Lottery draw. But he won't be too upset if she doesn't!

Over-the-moon Peter, 62, of Knowsley Drive, still can't believe his run of good fortune. He said: "It is out of this world, it hasn't sunk in properly for me yet.

"I thought it was a joke or a mistake when I got the phone call, but when they insisted I had won £100,000 I was pole-axed.

"It took my breath away and I had to sit down and get my breath before I could tell my family the good news.They were all worried thinking there was something wrong with me because my face went pale and then it went purple."

Peter has been doing Spot the Ball for seven years but was thinking about giving up.

He said: "I have been so far out when I checked the results for the last few weeks that I had said that I didn't know why I was bothering with it. "I was wondering whether to do it and then I thought I would push the boat out and put a few extra crosses on it and I spent £3.20 instead of my usual £2.

"I had 1,200 crosses on the picture and I still don't know which was the lucky one."

Peter's prize is made up of £95,000 cash and £5,000 of travel vouchers.

He hopes to travel to Australia to visit relatives when he is fit enough but hasn't made any plans on how to spend the money.

He said: "I have got four children and five grandchildren and I am sure they will help me spend it.

"And I think my wife Gill might want a new kitchen, she got the last one 14 years ago when I won £2,800 on the pools.

"Money can't buy happiness and good health but hopefully now this will help me enjoy my retirement without worrying."

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.