Percy Chapman (3 September 1900 – 16 September 1961) captained the England cricket team between 1926 and 1931. Representing the Cambridge cricket team in 1920, he once scored centuries against Oxford 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. A left- handed batsman, he went on to play 26 Test matches for England. After he took over from Arthur Carr as captain in 1926, England defeated Australia for the first time since 1912. He achieved victory in his first nine matches in charge but lost two and drew six of his remaining games. An amateur cricketer, Chapman played first-class cricket for Kent, eventually as captain. He had a respectable batting record, could score runs quickly, and was popular with spectators. Contemporaries rated him highly as a fielder. Although opinions were divided on his tactical ability as a captain, he was seen as an inspirational leader. Chapman's success gave him access to fashionable society for a time, but in the 1930s, his health and cricketing form declined. For the rest of his life, he suffered from alcoholism.
Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Percy_Chapman
_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:
36 BC:
Sicilian revolt: A victory by the fleet of Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa over that of Sextus Pompeius in the Battle of Naulochus ended Pompeian resistance to the Second Triumvirate. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Naulochus
1777:
American Revolutionary War: The British Army and their Hessian allies defeated an American militia in the Battle of Cooch's Bridge. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Cooch%27s_Bridge
1935:
On the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah, British racing motorist Malcolm Campbell became the first person to drive an automobile over 300 mph (480 km/h). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malcolm_Campbell
1942:
The Holocaust: In possibly the first Jewish ghetto uprising, residents of the Łachwa Ghetto in occupied Poland, informed of the upcoming "liquidation" of the ghetto, unsuccessfully fought against their Nazi captors. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C5%81achwa_Ghetto
2001:
The Troubles: Protestant loyalists began picketing a Catholic primary school for girls in the Protestant portion of Ardoyne, Belfast, Northern Ireland. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holy_Cross_dispute
_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:
amateur hour: (chiefly US, idiomatic) A situation or activity in which the participants show a lack of skill, sound judgment, or professionalism. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/amateur_hour
___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:
High ideals make a people strong. … decay comes when ideals wane. --Louis Sullivan https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Louis_Sullivan