A GWENT punter scooped nearly £700,000 on a series of bets from a stake of just £2 - and this weekend, he could become a millionaire.

All six horses named in a multiple bet by Afryn "Archie" Evans, from Henllys, Cwmbran, romped home at Sandown and Wolverhampton on Saturday - defying odds of 95,385-1.

The 59-year-old property surveyor stands to up his winnings to a staggering £1m if he triumphs again in a bonus bet at Uttoxeter this weekend.

Mr Evans said: "I've been betting on the horses for 40 years and the most I've ever won before now is £631 from a £1.65 stake. I was pinching myself then but this is completely unreal - I can't get my head around it."

Ladbrokes spokesman David Williams hailed the win - the biggest ever paid out by the company in Wales - as "extraordinary".

He said: "It's one of the great betting performances in our lifetime."

The father-of-three's sensational form has earned him the respect of the bookies - he will be a VIP guest at the Gold Cup in Cheltenham on Friday on Ladbrokes' invitation.

Mr Evans placed the bet in the weekly Tote Scoop6 at the Ladbrokes shop in Fairwater, Cwmbran, where he has been a regular for the last 14 years.

The prize money for Scoop6, known as a pool bet, is determined by the number of stakes entered. Mr Evans was the only punter to pick six winners on Saturday, and as luck would have it the total prize money was even higher than usual as it had been rolled over from the past three weeks.

His masterstroke was the sixth and final selection. The unfancied Swaythe, ridden by an apprentice jockey, had long odds of 17-2.

Mr Evans and his wife Jennifer, 55, watched the final two races on television at home. They were aghast as the outsider got off to a shaky start, and at one point was last.

But as Swaythe streaked past the post in the 3.45 at Sandown, Mr Evans, who was by now "bouncing up and down", became £695,911 richer.

He now plans to retire early at the end of the year, and take a well-earned holiday with his family.

Mr Evans celebrated by taking his three grandchildren - Jessica, nine, Courtney, eight, and four-year-old Caylea - to McDonald's in Cwmbran the next day.

"We've been talking about taking a cruise for my 60th birthday in September and maybe the whole family to Disneyland, Paris "Jessica is desperate to go."

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STAFF ROOTING FOR "GENTLEMAN ARCHIE"

STAFF at the Ladbrokes shop in Fairwater, Cwmbran will be rooting for Mr Evans in his bonus bet this Saturday - as he won't be the only one to benefit.

If the ace punter wins the £330,000 pot in the Midlands National at Uttoxeter on Saturday, the staff will also receive a cheque for £5,000 as part of the wager.

Manager Andrew Colcombe said he and his colleagues would have their fingers crossed during the race.

He described Mr Evans as a "real gentleman", adding: "It couldn't happen to a nicer person." Assistant Mandy Baulch, who took the bet from Mr Evans, was stunned when he returned later with the winning slip.

"I put it in the machine and six figures came up," she said. "He was really calm, but I started to shake. Then I asked him if he wanted to marry me!"