Percy Chapman, Date of Birth, Place of Birth, Date of Death
TweetPercy Chapman
English cricketer
Date of Birth: 03-Sep-1900
Place of Birth: Reading, England, United Kingdom
Date of Death: 16-Sep-1961
Profession: cricketer
Nationality: United Kingdom
Zodiac Sign: Virgo 
About Percy Chapman
- Arthur Percy Frank Chapman (3 September 1900 – 16 September 1961), usually known as Percy Chapman, was an English cricketer who captained the England cricket team between 1926 and 1931.
- A left-handed batsman, he played 26 Test matches for England, captaining the side in 17 of those games.
- Chapman was appointed captain for the final, decisive Test of the 1926 series against Australia; under his captaincy, England defeated Australia to win the Ashes for the first time since 1912.
- An amateur cricketer, Chapman played Minor Counties cricket for Berkshire and first-class cricket for Cambridge University and Kent.
- Never a reliable batsman, Chapman nevertheless had a respectable batting record.
- He could score runs very quickly and was popular with spectators.
- As a fielder, contemporaries rated him extremely highly.
- Although opinions were divided on his tactical ability as a captain, most critics accepted he was an inspirational leader. Born in Reading, Berkshire and educated at Uppingham School, Chapman established a reputation as a talented school cricketer and was named one of Wisden's schoolboy Cricketers of the Year in 1919.
- He 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.
- Chapman made his Test debut in 1924, although he had yet to play County Cricket.
- Having qualified for Kent, he was the surprise choice to take over from Arthur Carr as England captain in 1926.
- He achieved victory in his first nine matches in charge but lost two and drew six of his remaining games.
- Perceived tactical deficiencies and possibly growing concerns over his heavy drinking meant that Chapman was dropped from the team for the fifth Test against Australia in 1930.
- He captained England on one final tour in 1930–31, after which he never played another Test.
- After he assumed the Kent captaincy in 1931, his career and physique declined until he resigned the position in 1936; he retired altogether in 1939, by which time he was drinking heavily. Chapman's fame as a cricketer made him a popular public figure; he and his wife, whom he married in 1925, were well known figures in fashionable society and their appearances were followed closely in the press.
- Outside of cricket, he worked for a brewery.
- In his later years, Chapman increasingly suffered from the effects of alcoholism and was often seen drunk in public.
- He and his wife divorced in 1942; he spent his final years, mainly alone, suffering from depression, arthritis and a continued dependence on alcohol.
- Following a fall at his home and a subsequent operation, Chapman died in 1961, aged 61.
Read more at Wikipedia