As a Life Member, and one of the longest active participants at the club, Roy Gwilt gives a brief overview of the history of the club. This article is in Roy's own words. as it was intended as a speech at a club dinner.

"When we first came here there was not a house in sight. Now we are surrounded by them. Some people say 'that's progress', others have different views. I may be wrong in a few things I say, but please bear with me, because it's a long time to remember everything. Before Blackwood came to Highfield, we played at the Showfield, but all of the players wanted a ground of their own. There were two options, one where the old people's home is over the top and the one where we are now. The though was that the top site was too far from the town. So we went to see the farmer who owned the ground at the Plas, where the Monkey Tree now stands. If I remember correctly we paid £200 for the ground. We could have had the field next to it for the same amount, but £200 in those days was a lot of money, you could buy a whole street for that then.

You must remember, there were not many flat fields in the Blackwood area, and this one was no exception. The slant was right from the road down to the bottom, where the houses are now. Anyway, we set about cutting the ground and preparing a wicket. The first match was against Glamorgan Colts. A man named Tom Dredge was Captain. After that we decided to improve the ground. Bulldozers were hired to level the field, where the clubhouse is today. At the same time we were lucky that the council wanted somewhere to tip, so from the wicket down, it's all household rubbish. we also got an old prefab for tea and dressing rooms.Next we improved the wicket by getting turf from the other field, and going up to Markham Common.

Fred Holder did most of that, because in those days he was the only one with a car. Most of you know Fred, but you don't know how much time and effort Fred has put into this club over the years. I count him as one of my good friends and I hope he carries on for a long time yet. Back to the ground; we had to have a wall at the bottom of the bank, to stop it from slipping. It was a dry wall and with our help, a man named Bill Tayor built it. We got the stones from an old level where Kwiksave is now The wall was called 'Bill Taylor's Wall'. Now the ground was level, half of it was clay, and the other half rubbish. So we had topsoil tipped on it. At one time all you could see was tumps of earth all over the field. While this was taking place, we played for a whole season at the Showfield.

During this time, we also spent all our spare time raking and leveling the ground ourselves. After all this was finished, the committee decided we needed a new pavilion. The club purchased the one we are in now; to cut the cost, the foundations and brickwork was done by ourselves. The car park was concreted partly at the same time. You can imagine the time and effort that was put into this and in my opinion, it was down to two men; Jim Jenkins and Ralph Gwatkin, the father of Anthony, who I believe was never given the credit he deserved. What a man Jim Jenkins was, I've never seen anyone work like him, he was also secretary for many years and captain for quite a few years. Ralph on the other hand was chairman, he was the one who rallied the troops when work was to be done and was always looking to the future. With these two men and others, Blackwood became respected and well known throughout the area and beyond.

One time during these years, we also had a choir. There were some wonderful singers in the club. We used to practice in a room over the Butcher's Arms. Everywhere we went we had a sing-song. Crowds used to gather to hear us. We also ran trips every season on a Sunday, to Barry, Porthcawl, Tenby, even to Aberavon beach when it first opened. they were marvellous times. About eighteen years ago we had sixteen to eighteen year old boys under a foreman doing work practice. They did the patio on the bank, the wall in front, and the sheeting around the ground. Also trees were planted.

Now we have come up to the present time, with new dressing rooms, showers and toilets and a new downstairs bar. Our facilities are as good if not better than any other club. We should respect and look after them; all these things have come about through the efforts of Nigel Hurley and the committee. Well done to these and others who made it possible. At the end I will say this; to all members, sponsors and cricketers, you are part of a great club, that is envied and respected all over the area and further afield. You should be proud to be connected and play for any team you are selected for. I wish Blackwood Town Cricket Club and everyone connected to it every success in the future."

Roy Gwilt