Summer Sports - Cricket
for twenty-two years and is the electronics wizard; ‘Webbie’ - as he is always known - who does most of the delivery driving and spraying, and Ian, who’s the hydraulics expert. The three of them help each other out daily. They’re a very together team. “Without Toby and Webbie, Blotter would
just not exist,” said Ian. “Toby is like a son: Webbie is like a brother. We bounce off each other.”
In a day or two’s time, Toby was to go to Hurlingham to talk to Peter Craig about its use there. It takes eight to ten weeks to build a Super
The Blotter boys: (left to right) Ian Perkins, ‘Webbie’ and Toby Sampson “
We help each other out daily. We’re a very together team. Without Toby and Webbie, Blotter would just not exist. Toby is like a son; Webbie is like a brother. We bounce off each other
benefitted from Blotters. Anywhere, in fact, where excessive rainfall can damage an event and, more especially, its income. Blotters were even used on the set of Downton Abbey for the cricket match scenes where, just prior to filming, the pitch was absolutely flooded. What started out as a day’s hire ended up being a three-week stint. The latest very big appearance was on the set of the sequel to big box office spy-spoof film Kingsman, not just called Kingsman 2 but now officially Kingsman, the Golden Circle starring Colin Firth. One from the hire fleet was on duty for this and, just to add a bit of water pressure so to speak, Ian had a call for ‘drying out’ help from Buckingham Palace. There’s hardly a dull moment for the Blotter in our wet climate. CMS Blotter is a small firm. Ian wants it to
stay just that, so they can carry on giving personal attention to all Blotter users. The lineup is Toby Sampson - with CMS Blotter
Blotter, and about three weeks for the Mini version. Assembly is totally by hand in the firm’s workshops. Usually, they are made to order but, two years ago, they made one to have in reserve. It sat there for a while then, out of the blue, Ian had a call from Sunderland FC. The Stadium of Light had to postpone its first Premiership home game in August at great cost due to heavy rain. Ian shipped the standby up to Weirside the next day and they’ve never had to postpone a game because of surface water since. When things are quiet, which isn’t very often, the team now build stand-by machines for such unexpected demand. “One is all that can be held in reserve,
because they’re not cheap - just short of £30,000 these days for the large unit - and it ties up a lot of cash,” said Ian. The Mini Blotter is aimed at clubs that don’t have the money for a large one. Ian got the idea from seeing the roller in action at Lord’s and came up with a more compact unit that can stand up to repetitive use, and one that goes backwards as well as forwards. The weight pressure ratio means the foams don’t go like they inevitably do in time with the bigger unit. Many of the counties have them and use them for the nets and nursery areas. Ian has just sold two to Scotland cricket. They cost about £7,000 and, like the big
Blotter, the Mini is completely hand-built and lasts. The company is in the process of designing and making a cheaper hand- pushed machine. The metal parts are all plasma cut or made individually for them by local manufacturer CFC Profiling. All the welding, assembly and finishing is carried out by Ian, Toby and Webbie. All units feature thirty-five hydraulic hoses. Every component part is kept in stock, and they never run out. The Super Blotter does its job quite simply by soaking up surface water, collecting it in two troughs and, by means of a pump, depositing the contents into a drainage outlet or jetting it beyond the boundary or play area. As soon as the cricket season is over, the
Assembly nearing completion for another Super Blotter 66 I PC AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2016
Blotters all come back for annual service. “There’s a great, long line of them,” said Ian. “Many of the groundsmen bring them in themselves and have a day here. We strip them right down and give them a complete overhaul. We make every effort to see they don’t break down after the winter service.” “The main problem area is invariably the drums. They can get damaged going over
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