Cheers

Unlucky for some

Snifter's heart goes out to one unlucky punter at the Castle Inn, Holcombe, Devon. Ten pub-syndicate customers won £400,000 when their National Lottery numbers came up - weeks after one member had abandoned the group. The syndicate had spent £2 every week on tickets since the game started in 1994.

Faking it

All bar staff must be able to identify the difference between a genuine ID with a PASS hologram and one of the fake "novelty" cards doing the rounds. But MA deputy news editor John

Harrington posed an interesting question by asking a barmaid whether she would accept his new fake ID, ordered as part of an investigation into the cards. Harrington, 27, had already ordered a drink, but was curious to know where the law stands on adults using fake ID to buy drinks. The flustered barmaid didn't respond. One for MA legal editor Peter Coulson perhaps?.

Down - but not out

The English have stuffed the Aussies again - this time at drinking. The world's biggest pub crawl took place in London last month, with 2,278 drinkers

quenching their thirst in some top watering-holes. London snatched the title from Maryborough in

Queensland, Australia, which mustered 41 fewer pub crawlers when it set the first world record in 2004.

But Maryborough plans to set a new record next year. Local councillor Anne Nioa told the Australian

Associated Press: "It's a fairly Australian thing that if the Poms have beaten us at something, we won't have much trouble convincing them to take up the challenge next time."