Catch a Million: Lucky seven cricket fans reveal how they spent cool $107k

Tui Catch a Million catcher Stu Chapman celebrates after catching a ball hit by Corey Anderson. Photo / Christine Cornege

Paid-off mortgages, two-month holidays and a brand new business are among the spending sprees of sports fans who snared life-changing catches during the Cricket World Cup.

Seven lucky spectators banked a cool $107,142.86 each, tax-free, for one-handed catches as some of the world's top batsmen sent sixes sailing into the stands during the tournament.

Their windfall comes after brewer Tui paid out a combined $750,000 in its Catch A Million competition. The jackpot increased with every step the Black Caps took towards the World Cup final.

For Aucklander Arjun Bhardwaj, 24, who moved to New Zealand from India on his own as a 17-year-old, the payout means he will open his first business and return home to visit family.

"I'd been looking to set up my own business, probably a liquor store, for a while but I'd not been able to afford it. I can do that now, I get to start my career," Bhardwaj told the Herald on Sunday.

"I will also be able to go and see my family in India, who I will never have to ask for money again. That makes me very happy."

Sajjad Ahmad, 42, of Wellington, said the winnings meant his family had financial security. "We had been going through a hard time and when this happened, it was a gift from God," Ahmad said. "We are very happy and it will help us pay for things we couldn't afford before."

Some of the lucky few from the promotion have tucked their windfalls in savings accounts or are "letting the dust settle" before splashing out, including Okura man Travis Committie, main picture, Lower Hutt's John Raynor and Jamie Gough of Dunedin.

Gough admitted he had considered ways to blow-out, including dropping $70,000 on Rugby World Cup tickets for him and his wife later this year.

New Plymouth's Stu Chapman is allowing himself to use $50,000 to have a good time with his family.

"It's been fantastic. It just dropped into my account in one lump sum and I'm splitting it half-and-half between saving and spending," Chapman said.

Family is also the big winner for Sunjay Ganda of Rangiora, who said his wife was able to stay home with their young child, rather than being forced back to work.

"But I'm sure I've bought people a few beers every now and then."