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Blackwood Cricket Club’s men’s first team are poised for promotion to division one of the South East Wales Cricket League, with the club’s path to success a result of its youth and community engagement.

Emma Chalk runs the club’s youth section, as well playing for the club’s women’s side.

Speaking to Caerphilly Observer about the club’s structure, Emma said: “We have around 150 players at the club in total, starting at the age where they can hold a bat.

“It’s all about making cricket as exciting as possible for the kids. We’re running a free summer camp through the school holidays to get them engaged early on.

“Me and some of the women at the club have been running the social media side of things for a while now and that has also helped us grow.”

Blackwood Cricket’s Ladies side began four years ago and were the first in Wales to do so. Since then, Emma says the side, which competes in division two of the women’s league, has grown from strength-to-strength.

She added: ”The ladies have a couple of sides now. We recently beat Abertillery Toucans in a cup game which has put us into a semi-final to be played this Monday.”

Speaking about the club’s work in the community to make the sport as inviting as possible, Emma said: “Only the other day did we host a local Rainbows club where some young girls got involved. It was great fun.

“We’re also in the process of setting up a mental health club on the middle Saturday of each month from September to deal with loneliness after the season finishes.

“The clubhouse has also recently been renovated, meaning we’re looking to get more people from the community under our roof which will only help everyone.”

You can contact Blackwood Town on Facebook or online for more details.