Chapman went where Vaughan is - but then fell

Fate of the captain whose record was taken last week is a salutory story

Percy Chapman should have sipped nectar with the gods on Olympus while mere mortals looked on in awe. Instead he was a friendless old sot whom his fellow men usually avoided by stepping over him in the gutter.

Chapman was captain of England when they last won seven Tests in a row. Michael Vaughan's side made it eight in succession last week when they beat South Africa by seven wickets. It had taken 75 years for the run to be improved.

With all due respect to the admirable Vaughan, who will approach deification if his team can reclaim the Ashes this summer, he may never reach the heights of Chapman. God and his own good sense forbid that he should stoop so low.

In the Roaring Twenties, Chapman had become an idol before he guided England to the seven victories which spanned the summer of 1928 against a weak West Indies and the winter of 1928-29 against Australia. He was born to capture the glittering prizes. Uppingham School was followed by Pembroke College, Cambridge.

Life came easily to him. He was 6ft 3in, with a mane of curly hair and a twinkle in his eye. He was vivacious and entertaining. He was a flamboyant, left-handed batsman who saw the taking of risks as part of the deal. He was a wonderfully athletic fielder with prehensile hands.

University cricket was strong, but Chapman made the team as a freshman. He made a century on debut, he scored hundreds in the Varsity match and for the Gentlemen against the Players. The world was at his feet.

In the summer of 1926, England had drawn the first four Tests of the series against Australia. It had been 14 years since they had last won the Ashes, and the first three series since the Great War had been lamentably one-sided: 5-0, 3-0, 4-1 to Australia. Now the moment was at hand.

In an audacious move the selectors decided to drop Arthur Carr, who had been captain in the first four Tests, and invited Chapman to assume command. He had virtually no experience of captaincy, he had played a mere 15 times for Kent in the previous three seasons. To great national rejoicing, which would be matched only by the scenes if they can pull it off this summer, England won the Test and the Ashes.

Percy Chapman was a national hero. There were no home Tests the following summer and work precluded Chapman going on the South African tour in the winter of 1927. It was the summer of 1928 when he again took over the leadership and, aided by his charismatic style and a team of considerable talent, England could not stop winning.

The captain was no great tactician or motivator, but his convivial nature persuaded men to follow him. West Indies, in their first Test series, were swept aside, losing all three matches by an innings. Australia were a different proposition, but they too succumbed. It helped that the matches were all played to a finish and England, with Wally Hammond in superlative form, won the first four matches. Two of them were played over seven days, one over six. For the Fifth Test, Chapman decided to drop himself to give the others a chance. Australia won over eight days.

This sterling win merely reinforced Chapman's standing with the public. But it was never to be quite so good again. He missed the 1929 summer because of foreign visits, but to general acclaim was recalled to lead the side in the 1930 Ashes series. England won the First Test but lost the Second at Lord's despite a hundred from Chapman that included four sixes and 12 fours, and a stunning catch at gully to remove Don Bradman. Play was held up as the crowd cheered. The next two Tests were drawn. Then, unaccountably, Chapman was dropped for the Fifth.

Life slipped inexorably away from him afterwards. He began to drink heavily, his weight shot up. The boyish charm never quite disappeared, but he was frequently afflicted by alcohol. His face was ravaged by the demon. Men avoided him. He was divorced, he was alone and lonely. And still he drank. Chapman died in a nursing home at the age of 61.

His record of seven consecutive wins had been achieved once before by an England side, between 1885 and 1888. Three captains were involved in the run, though Arthur Shrewsbury led them in three of the matches. Shrewsbury was the first professional captain of England, and his life ended in tragedy when he shot himself at the age of 47.

It has been a momentous week in the life of Michael Vaughan, and there are reasons to believe there is much more to come from his team. But his eighth victory has offered a chance to reflect on a sporting Adonis, and maybe to serve as a warning.