Catalogue for the auction of
Cricket, Football & Sporting Memorabilia

To be held on Friday, Saturday & Sunday
31st October, 1st & 2nd November 2025

Arthur Percy Frank Chapman. Cambridge University, Kent & England 1920-1938. Single page typed letter from Chapman, hand addressed in ink to a ‘Mr Hornsby’. Chapman had been dropped as captain (and player) for the last Test of the 1930 Ashes series against Australia. This letter is dated 23rd September 1930, one month after the series had finished. Chapman writes to say ‘I was, naturally, exceedingly disappointed to start with, but now it’s all over I think really I was lucky to be out of it!’. Very nicely signed in ink ‘Yrs sincerely, A.P.F. Chapman’ with handwritten postscript, ‘Please excuse a typed letter. Thank you so much for yours’. Light folds, otherwise in good condition.
Under Percy Chapman’s captaincy in the 1930 Ashes series, England had won the first Test and Australia the second. The third and fourth Tests were drawn and Chapman was dropped from the team for the deciding Test on the basis of his unpredictable batting. Australia beat England convincingly by an innings under the captaincy of R.E.S. Wyatt in the final Test to take the series 2-1.

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