BAD backs and aching limbs are a thing of the past for volunteer greenkeepers at Liphook Bowling Club thanks to a new piece of machinery.

The club has invested in a drop spreader that will eliminate some of the backbreaking labour members have endured.

Neil McIsaac, assistant green keeper at the London Road club, said: "It used to take a team of about 14 of us three days to lay top dressing on the bowling green, spreading it out from a wheelbarrow and then raking it over.

"It left us all with backache. With this drop spreader, we can get it done in about two hours, and the dressing is spread much more evenly than before."

The £1,000 spreader was paid for with a £500 grant from East Hampshire District Council and an extra £500 from county councillor Ferris Cowper's grant allowance.

Mr Cowper said: "There's nothing worse when you are playing bowls than a patchy or weeded green.

"This equipment will ensure they have a high quality green, which is great from a player's point of view but also great from the point of view of the club as it will improve its reputation as a fantastic place to play bowls."