A YORK woman who went shopping in the city centre for fresh fish netted a "one-in-a-million" catch.

Barbara Clark, of Geldof Road, Huntington, was walking through Parliament Street with her elder brother, Brian, when the pair spotted a face which seemed strangely familiar.

Brian, 65, who was visiting the city from his home town of Peterborough, suggested that they follow the mysterious figure through the weekend crowd of shoppers.

Eventually, Barbara, 64, plucked up the courage to tap the man on the shoulder and ask his name - and came face to face with her long-lost brother John Calpin, 62, whom she had not seen for 21 years.

Barbara, a retired hotel owner, said: "Once he turned round I knew there was no mistake, it was my brother.

"None of us can believe what's happened. It must be a one-in-a-million chance to run into him like this."

Youngest sibling John moved to the USA almost 30 years ago, and now lives in Idaho, where he is the director of soccer coaching at a local college.

Although Barbara had kept in contact by telephone for some time, the family lost touch more than 20 years ago when she changed hotel businesses at short notice and John moved from California to Idaho.

The chance meeting is even more uncanny because Barbara had been searching for John on the internet last week to try to locate him in America.

When they finally met, she quickly realised that an email she had sent to the college where he works did not prompt a reply because he was on holiday - in York.

John, who has coached some of the stars that represented the USA at the World Cup finals in Japan and Korea, was enjoying a short summer break in the city, as part of a tour of the country.

Barbara said: "We've had a few drinks, a celebration and exchanged stories and contact numbers - there's no way I'm losing him this time!"

Updated: 11:56 Monday, July 15, 2002