Torpoint of Order

Torpoint Athletic v Helston Athletic, South West Peninsula League

Original plan was for some pubs around Plymouth and then on to Millbrook v Penzance, but my drinking companions had instead chosen the Danny Jones memorial game at Keighley, and I was now joined by dad and nephew on the 0730 Paddington – Penzance, seen here passing the re-constructed sea wall at Dawlish.

A late morning arrival into Plymouth.

With a pointer of where we might want to be heading.

So off to the Hoe for my dad to give a rather chequered history lesson to a sceptical 11 year old. First of all, Francis Drake “really he was just a pirate who would come back and bribe the monarchy”

Then a wander up Smeaton’s tower “there’s a better museum about him in Saffron Waldon”.

And finally, the Mayflower steps “they didn’t actually leave from here, they left from Boston”.

After some fish and chips on the Barbican, we encountered a stroppy bus driver on the 34 to Admirals Hard, which meant a mad dash down to the Cremyll ferry.

Destination was the Cornish headland at Mount Edgcumbe, passing a ‘battleships and bridges’ harbour tour.

A 30 minute layover at Cremyll gave the opportunity for either a walk around the National Trust gardens, or a pint and a cheeseboard at the Edgcumbe Arms . It was never really a contest.

Next part of the journey was one of the great British bus journeys, around the Rame peninsula.

From Cremyll, the bus immediately climbs high up to give excellent vies of the Tamar estuary including the rail and road bridges at Saltash.

It then loops round to look over our original destination of Millbrook. The ground can be seen in the middle of the picture, above the dam. However, with a three hour train journey to get home, it was decided to go to a game nearer Plymouth so we flagged Millbrook.

The bus still went passed the ground. I had been here a number of times when I lived in Plymouth, and then re-visited a few years ago. We were drinking in a pub in the village when the landlord asked us what we were up to. When told that we had come down from Swindon/Bristol to watch the football, his slightly self-depreciating response was “you’ve come all this way to watch the shittest football in Cornwall and drink in the shittest pub”. We went on to win the raffle at the game, and had the choice of Spar own brand vodka or four cans of Carling.

Anyway, the bus then took us onto Cawsands where we were inches from taking out a group of pensioners in a silver Skoda.

Before negotiating the bus coming the other way at just the sort of location you would expect to see double decker busses passing.

Then came the clifftop run along the narrow, winding, and not at all disconcerting run along the clifftops of Whitsands Bay. The weather was in a right muddle and as this was the summit of the peninsula, my left was getting blazing sun, whilst my right was chilblains from a torrential down pour.

My dad was able to pass on his views of how rubbish cliff side houses are because all you can see is the sea , and that never changes.

And so on to Torpoint, where the football ground is located shoreside, amongst the boatyards.

Heading down to the ground with the main stand in the background.

This is the first English/Cornish bi-lingual signage I have seen at a ground?

Today was one of the longest journeys in Cornwall, the opposition heading up from the Lizzard.

The entrance has a very nautical theme to it. This was my nephews third ever game of football, the previous two were his dad taking him to West Ham, including the play-off final win which he slept through.

Torpoint Athletic 4 v Helston Athletic 0, Carlsberg South West Peninsula Football League - Premier Division

Torpoint were founded in 1887, initially playing in the Plymouth leagues but have been in the South West league since the 1960s, which was there most successful decade, winning the league twice.

Helston were founder members of the South Western League, but dropped to the Cornish Combination in the 1970s, until rejoining the South West Peninsula five years ago and winning division one last season.

The ground itself has recently had a very through spruce up. A fence has been put up to separate the other pitches, and everything else was in very good order.

The main stand has had individual seats added…

….and there is now standing cover adjacent to it…

…with a very good tea bar next to it.

There some other nice touches, a memorial garden…

….and colour co-ordinated planters.

The gladiators enter the arena.

Blood handshakes. The game was actually of a decent standard. Torpoint had the edge and then scored a couple of very well taken goals mid-way through the first half, before adding a second just before the break.

My day of temperance meant I didn’t sample the tantalising club house, which was a shame as all the staff and officials at the ground had been exceptionally friendly and helpful. West Midlands non-league take note.

In order to get a decent timed train home, we couldn’t stay to the end. Torpoint eventually winning 4-0, with us heading off for another ride with these.

Off to the bus stop outside the now abandoned bus depot, with the demise of Western Greyhound meaning First bus have given up their Plymouth routes and now just operate in Cornwall.

The bus took us across the Tamar, with my second bus-on-chain-ferry move of the season.

The 2005 vessel Lynher II was our chosen steed.

And off we headed.

Bus took us directly to the station, for an appropriately named power car on the 1657 Plymouth to Paddington.

Which gave some great views of the sun setting as we raced down the Teign estuary.