 Sunday, 11th Jul 2010 21:18 by Clive Whittingham The first of two mini tours undertaken by QPR this summer gets underway on Monday evening when the R’s face Tavistock AFC in their first friendly of the summer. In the first part of our pre-season feature LoftforWords provides a comprehensive guide to the next week of action. It’s easy to be negative about Britain. A country that has had two madmen on the loose with guns in as many weeks, a nation embarrassingly bad at its national sport, a place where you can pay £1.20 for a litre of petrol, a place that takes more than £87m in speeding fines, with pot holed roads, decaying schools, anti social behaviour, red tape, bureaucracy, benefit spongers living in giant houses being paid by the state for punching out feral kids, Nectar points and fried chicken served by the bucket load to fat mums raising fat kids. A place that is brought to its knees by any weather condition other than 14 degrees and overcast. It’s a desperate place really when you think about it. But there are some genuinely wonderful things about Britain as well and the West Country is certainly one of them. Robbed of the glorious coastline rail journey between Exeter and Newton Abbott this season by the relegation of Plymouth QPR fans still have an excuse to go and enjoy a seriously lovely part of the world this week when the R’s embark on a three game, week long tour of Devon and Cornwall. Beautiul countryside, fine real ale pubs, friendly people and, fingers crossed, glorious weather will be the order of the day for R’ fans taking time out to head down to the South West. Starting at Tavistock on Monday and ending at Torquay on Friday night the three match tour will provide Neil Warnock’s new look side with its first action of the summer so far, less than a month from the start of the season against Barnsley in August. Pre-season is a very strange time of the year. It provides supporters with a chance to see some grounds they perhaps wouldn’t normally, but the football is such a non-event that any trips are taken purely for the new ground, new place, catching up with old faces element to it all. Aldershot away last season was a real treat – meeting up with QPR friends at Waterloo and journeying out to a new town, a new ground, accessed through a little woodland by the railway line. While it’s hard to tell much from pre-season fixtures it was apparent that day, as Ranger won 4-0, that several of our players were clearly and obviously overweight and that remained a problem throughout the season. By all accounts those fitness issues will not reoccur this season with Warnock and new fitness coach Carl Serrant imposing a strict regime over the last week of training. Warnock, who has a home in this part of the world, says he is looking forward to getting his troops on the pitch this week. Warnock told the club’s official website: “The Cornwall tour is all about giving the lads some game time. We're taking 20 odd players with us and they'll all get at least 90 minutes under their belts over the course of the three matches. Pre-season is all about fitness, fitness, fitness. The results of the first few games are largely immaterial. “People may question why we've not got a pre-season friendly against a Premier League side. We thought we had Tottenham, but that fell through. But to be honest I'm not too disappointed. I've played sides like that in the past - where you don't get to see too much of the ball - and that can be a worthless exercise. The facilities are great down there. It will be hard graft for a week, but there'll also be time for some relaxing - a round of golf if the lads fancy it. However, even on the days we play, we'll be doing some physical stuff in the morning of the game. "I'm sure we'll have a few fans following us around and from past experience, there's always a great friendly atmosphere around the grounds. It's like a pre-season party - it's fantastic. It's a neglected part of the football world if you ask me. The Cornish people always really appreciate Clubs like QPR coming down - I've even been asked to do the official opening of the new changing rooms at Tavistock." Tavistock AFC Monday, July 12, 7pm. Tickets - £12 seated, £8 standing he Lambs are founder members of the Carlsberg South West Peninsula Football League, in which they finished fifth last season. The league contains sides such as Penzance, Plymouth Parkway and the Royal Marines (tough sounding away game if ever there was one) and is part of the sixth level of English football – for reference Conference South with the likes of Hampton and Richmond Borough and Farnborough is three levels above. Tavistock open the new season on August 7, the same day we play Barnsley, with a home game against St Austell. The team has made steady progress in the 20 team league recently with final placings of tenth, sixth and fifth in the last three years. The league was formed in 2007 after the Devon League and South Western League merged in a shake up of the English pyramid system. Tavistock were formed in 1888 making them one of the oldest clubs in the league. A letter in the Tavistock Gazette attracted the attention of local businessmen to assemble at the Guildhall on 8 September, where a committee was elected. The club adopted a colour strip of blue and old gold, although today the club colours are red and black. The newly formed club played on the old Tavistock Grammar School playing fields. They moved to their current ground in 1949 and Langsford Park is named after the then club president Herbert Langsford who purchased the land and gave it to the club in trust. The ground remains relatively undeveloped with a small wooden seated stand down one side made partly of old railway sleepers and a grass bank along another touchline providing an elevated view point. It’s a very picturesque ground by all accounts overlooking the river and surrounded by rolling countryside. The roof of the main stand was replaced in the early 1990s after its old curved one fell victim to high winds. It got floodlights in 1994, has an attractive looking social club which I’m sure QPR fans will make use of and new changing facilities will be opened by Neil Warnock on Monday night. It has an official capacity of 2000, with 200 seats. In 2002/03 they finished as runners up in the South Western League, as close as they have ever come to winning the region’s top division. Their best FA Cup performance came in 1954/55 when they reached the third qualifying round before being thrashed 12-1 by Barnstable Town. In 2005/06 they entered the FA Vase for the second time in their history and won through to the last 32 before succumbing to defeat against Pickering Town from Yorkshire. The team is now managed by Ian Southcoat, who is understandably delighted to be welcoming a Championship side to his club as part of their pre-season preparations, and says that the presence of Neil Warnock on Monday night may well be a good omen for QPR in the coming season. Southcoat said: “I would also like to say a big thank you to Neil Warnock for agreeing to bring a very strong squad down to play us and I hope you have an enjoyable in the West Country. It is fantastic for the players and as for the finances of the club it is an absolute godsend, especially in this current financial climate. “A good omen for the QPR supporters is that the last couple of times Neil brought Sheffield Utd down to play us they got to the FA Cup semi final, League Cup semi final and a promotion to the premiership. QPR will be fancied by many to have a real tilt at winning promotion and with the strengthening of their squad, I am sure Neil will be determined to make that happen and I wish them well. “On the playing side most of you will be aware that several of our players from the last few seasons have decided to move on and I would like to thank them for their service to our club, and on a personal note I am really looking forward to the new season with great optimism. We are looking to bring on the best youngsters and the best local talent but in order for them to flourish we need to have the right experience around them.” Rangers fans may well recognise veteran defender Robbie Pethick, who combines playing with a coaching role at his home town club. Pethick was a right full back at Portsmouth when QPR were relegated from the Premiership in 1996 and played for Pompey on that fateful Monday night at the start of the 1996/97 season when Kevin Gallen destroyed his knee bagging a late winner for the R’s. Pethick made the thick end of 2000 appearances for the Fratton Park outfit after they picked him up from Weymouth and he went on to play for Bristol Rovers, Brighton and Havant and Waterlooville before retiring in 2006. The Tavistock side will include a number of new signings. Martyn Sullivan, Ryan Cross, Matt Hawke, and Ian Symons have joined the club this summer while local youngsters Dan Pethick, Matt Shipton and Jamie Blatchford are expected to be given a chance to make an impact this season. How to get there: Essentially it’s as you would go to Home Park in Plymouth, down the M4, M5 and A38 and then off at the Manadon roundabout at Plymouth, the same exit for Home Park. The fifth exit from that roundabout is signposted Crownhill/Tavistock and will put you on the A386 which you follow through Yelverton and Horrabridge to Tavistock. Take the second exit at the first mini roundabout in Tavistock with Morrisons on your left and the Texaco garage on the right. Keep left at the next roundabout and go straight on a the third one. Around 30 yards after the third roundabout turn left into Crowndale Road, drive past Tavistock College on the right and Tavistock AFC is the next thing you will come across. Parking at the ground is limited so supporters are encouraged to arrive early. The nearest railways station is actually five miles away in Gunnislake. This is the last stop on the Tamar Valley line which runs a regular service from Plymouth six miles away. It is actually possible to make it back to London after the game by train, leaving Gunnislake at 2221, arriving in Plymouth at 2306 in time for the sleeper service back to London which leaves at 2351 and arrives at 0535. Return tickets based on going there and back on Monday and booking a sleeper berth on the way back are available now for £71.70 on trainline.com. A regular bus service runs from Hunnislake train station to the middle of Tavistock, although how long into the evening this continues is unclear and a taxi may be the safest bet after the match. The last train from Plymouth to be there in time for kick off is probably the 1637 arriving in Gunnislake at 1723. The return ticket from Plymouth is £4.40.
The town: Tavistock is a small market town and a centre for the West Devon and Dartmoor tourist trade. It is a fast growing dormitory area for commuters working in Plymouth. The market operates in the large covered Pannier Market building on Fridays with the building being used for craft and antiques fairs the rest of the week. There is a fortnightly farmer’s market in the town square which contributes to its award as ‘Best Food Town’ in the country in 2006 and Best Market Town in Britain in 2005. It made the news in 2006 for successfully campaigning against McDonalds opening a restaurant there. The biggest event in the town's calendar is the annual Tavistock Goose Fair, known less than originally as Goosey Fair, which has existed since 1116. It occurs on the second Wednesday of October, and takes over much of the town for several days either side. Traditionally, the Fair was an opportunity for locals to purchase their Christmas goose, allowing plenty of time to fatten the bird before Christmas came There is an annual food festival in September and a carnival with a twod ay Balloon Fiesta each August bank holiday weekend. For real ale lovers this is a great part of the world, and if you are travelling by train then why not take advantage of the Tamar Valley real ale trail. This was launched in 2004 to encourage rail travelers to visit pubs near the line. Five are in Plymouth city centre and a further three in the suburbs of Devonport and St Budeaux. There are single pubs to visit at Bere Ferrers and Bere Alston, two in Calstock and six in Gunnislake. Links: Pyramid Passion Pictures, ground guide, history. Photo: Action Images Please report offensive, libellous or inappropriate posts by using the links provided.
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