88 Facts About Percy Chapman

Arthur Percy Frank Chapman was an English cricketer who captained the England cricket team between 1926 and 1931.

An amateur cricketer, Percy Chapman played Minor Counties cricket for Berkshire and first-class cricket for Cambridge University and Kent.

Never a reliable batsman, Percy Chapman nevertheless had a respectable batting record.

Percy Chapman went to Pembroke College, Cambridge and represented the University cricket team with great success; his fame reached a peak when he scored centuries against Oxford University and in the Gentlemen v Players match within the space of a week.

Percy Chapman made his Test debut in 1924, although he had yet to play County Cricket.

Percy Chapman achieved victory in his first nine matches in charge but lost two and drew six of his remaining games.

Percy Chapman was born on 3 September 1900 in Reading, Berkshire, the son of Frank Percy Chapman, a schoolteacher, and his wife Bertha Finch.

Percy Chapman's father encouraged him to play cricket and coached him personally.

Percy Chapman was first educated at his father's preparatory school, Fritham House, and by the age of eight was in the school's first eleven.

Percy Chapman improved his record in 1917, scoring 668 runs at an average of 111.33; he hit two fifties, two centuries and a double century in his last five innings.

In 1918, Percy Chapman scored 472 runs at 52.44 and took 15 wickets; the following year, he captained the team, scored 637 runs at an average of 70.77 and took 40 wickets.

Percy Chapman failed in two trial games, organised prior to the 1920 cricket season to inform the selection of the Cambridge team, and despite his reputation, was omitted from the University's opening first-class match against Essex.

Percy Chapman scored 27 in this final game of the university season to aggregate 613 runs at an average of 40.86, second in the Cambridge batting averages.

In 1921, Percy Chapman averaged over 50 for the University and scored three centuries, although his growing reputation meant some critics felt he had underachieved.

Percy Chapman played in the University match against Oxford and for the Gentlemen against the Players, and impressed commentators.

Percy Chapman had scored 300 runs from 14 innings, but retained his place partially on the strength of his fielding.

Percy Chapman earned praise for his aggression and his stroke plays on the off side.

Percy Chapman ended his season by scoring 805 runs and taking 19 wickets for Berkshire, and playing in festival games.

Percy Chapman aggregated 607 runs at 33.72 in first-class matches for the season.

Percy Chapman was popular at Cambridge and enjoyed his time there.

Percy Chapman took part in a variety of social engagements and became involved in other sports.

Percy Chapman captained Pembroke College at rugby and was close to playing for the full university side.

Percy Chapman continued to play rugby for Berkshire Wanderers until he was nearly 30 years old.

The tourists returned to Australia for the last leg of the tour; Percy Chapman scored 91 against New South Wales and 134 in 142 minutes against South Australia.

Percy Chapman's cricket was mainly restricted to club level in 1923, with some further games for Berkshire.

That summer, England played South Africa in a Test series and Percy Chapman was selected for a trial game before the first Test.

Percy Chapman became one of the few cricketers to represent England while playing for a minor county rather than a team playing in the County Championship.

Percy Chapman batted once and scored eight runs; he drew praise from Wisden for an "amazing" catch on the last day as South Africa were heavily beaten.

Percy Chapman retained his place for the second Test but did not bat: only four English batsmen were needed in the game which the home side won by an innings.

Percy Chapman was not seriously hurt but missed the remainder of the Test series and the Gentlemen v Players game at Lord's.

Percy Chapman scored 74 in 50 minutes and hit three sixes, two of them from consecutive deliveries from Wilfred Rhodes.

Percy Chapman was selected for the first four Tests of the five-match series.

Percy Chapman was left out of the side for the final Test.

The former Australian captain Monty Noble believed Percy Chapman could be a good batsman if he curbed his aggression but The Cricketer considered his technique to be faulty.

Now qualified to play county cricket for Kent, Percy Chapman played only four times in the County Championship in 1925, preferring to establish himself in his new career in the brewery trade.

Percy Chapman did not play any early season games and his first match for Kent was against the touring side.

Percy Chapman scored 51, his first first-class fifty since January 1925.

Percy Chapman scored a century for the Gentlemen against the Players at Lord's.

Percy Chapman played in two of the three trial matches and was chosen for the first Test but did not bat in a match ruined by rain.

Australia dominated most of the third Test but England saved the game; Percy Chapman scored 15 and 42 not out in the match.

Percy Chapman was omitted from the side for the fourth Test, but fielded as substitute when Carr became ill during the game.

Percy Chapman was selected to lead the Gentlemen against the Players at Lord's for the first time, and led representative sides in two of the three Test trials held that season; the press judged his captaincy to be good.

Percy Chapman totalled 1,387 runs in first-class games at an average of 66.04, the highest aggregate and average of his career.

The Kent captaincy became available at the end of the season, but Percy Chapman was not appointed; according to Percy Chapman's biographer, David Lemmon, he was probably approached but was unable to dedicate the necessary time to the position.

Percy Chapman began in good form, but was never as effective as in 1927.

Rumours in later years said that Percy Chapman was responsible for leaving Woolley out as he was jealous of his county teammate, but Lemmon regards this as unlikely.

England batted first and scored 521; Percy Chapman scored 50, but critics believed he should have batted more cautiously.

When Percy Chapman became the first captain to declare an innings closed in a timeless Test match, Australia needed 742 to win.

Percy Chapman's team won the second Test comfortably after scoring 636 in their first innings, the highest team total in Tests at that time.

Percy Chapman came in and batted in an unusual way; after attempting some big shots, he played ultra-defensively, possibly in an attempt to allow Patsy Hendren to reach fifty runs before England won.

Hendren was out soon after, then Percy Chapman tried to hit a six and was caught.

Up to this time, Percy Chapman had enjoyed a harmonious relationship with the Australian crowds.

However, in the match against Victoria which followed the fourth Test, the crowd barracked the MCC team when Percy Chapman brought on Harold Larwood, a fast bowler, to bowl against Bert Ironmonger, the number eleven, a tactic regarded as unsporting.

Percy Chapman resumed playing for Kent shortly after his return home but appeared in only seven matches, with a top-score of 28.

Percy Chapman missed the two MCC tours that winter to New Zealand and West Indies, neither of which involved a full-strength team.

However, Percy Chapman began the season well, impressing commentators with his batting, fielding and captaincy, and was named as England captain for the first Test match.

Percy Chapman attacked the bowling immediately, and shared a large partnership with Gubby Allen.

Percy Chapman took England into the lead, hitting out at almost every delivery to reach his only Test century after 140 minutes' batting.

Percy Chapman's century made him the first batsman to score centuries at Lord's in the University match, in the Gentlemen v Players game and for England in a Test match; only Martin Donnelly later performed a similar feat, though his Test century was scored for New Zealand.

However, McKinstry writes that the selectors and other influential members of the cricketing establishment were privately concerned by Percy Chapman's heavy drinking which they felt was affecting his leadership.

Percy Chapman had been having his most successful series with the bat, and as a close fieldsman England still did not contain his equal.

Percy Chapman was popular with the crowds but made a poor start to the tour with the bat until he scored more substantially in the lead-up to the Test series.

Percy Chapman won the toss and chose to bowl on a damp pitch which would have favoured his bowlers.

Percy Chapman made an official protest before leading his team onto the field.

Wisden observed that "without finding his full powers as a punishing hitter, Percy Chapman occasionally batted well".

Percy Chapman was accompanied by his wife, and his parents joined the tour for a time.

Percy Chapman took part in many social events and visited several whiskey firms which were associated with his employers in England.

Percy Chapman played no further Test cricket; in 26 Tests, he scored 925 runs at an average of 28.90 and held 32 catches.

Percy Chapman captained England in 17 matches, winning nine and losing two with the others drawn.

Wisden commented that Percy Chapman "exercised an invigorating influence" on the side.

Critics and players thought that he was past his best by the time he became captain, and already affected by alcoholism, but Percy Chapman was successful as leader.

Percy Chapman began the 1932 season in good form and appeared fitter than he had for many seasons.

Teammates and observers noticed that in the final years of his career, Percy Chapman frequently left the field during matches, and they suspected he was drinking in the pavilion.

Percy Chapman played infrequently in 1936, and the captaincy was shared between him and two others.

Percy Chapman was reluctant to bat, to the extent of dropping down the batting order to avoid doing so, and his friends believed that his nerve had gone.

Percy Chapman captained a non-representative England XI in a festival game against the New Zealanders in 1937, batting at number ten in the order and scoring 61.

Percy Chapman's remaining first-class matches were low-profile games against Oxford and Cambridge Universities; he played 13 games in his final three seasons.

Percy Chapman was tall, slim, always youthful, and pink and chubby of face.

Percy Chapman's cricket was romantic in its vaunting energy but classic in shape.

Commentators claimed that Percy Chapman was not a subtle captain and lacked tactical astuteness.

Pelham Warner believed that Percy Chapman started well, but that in the later stages of 1930, his tactical sense markedly deteriorated.

Percy Chapman's teams were usually harmonious and his sympathetic handling of his players often brought out the best in them.

Percy Chapman's wife believed that his choice of a career working in the alcohol trade made his life difficult and contributed to his heavy drinking.

Percy Chapman always appeared happy, but Gibson observes "that is the way some men disguise their unhappiness", and Lemmon suggests that Chapman was seeking acceptance and felt lonely at heart.

Percy Chapman returned to live in New Zealand in 1946.

Percy Chapman was frequently observed to be drunk in public, although his appearance and manners remained impeccable; the cricket establishment ignored him, regarding him as an embarrassment, particularly on the occasions he watched matches at Lord's.

On one occasion in 1955, Percy Chapman was invited to a dinner organised by Kent; he was later discovered in the car park on the bumper of a car in a distressed state and had to be assisted back inside.

Percy Chapman was taken to hospital for an operation but died on 16 September 1961.