players were not selected and the team suffered from injuries and illness. 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. England lost the opening match of the series by 28 runs and the other four were drawn. Needing to win the final match to level the series, England were frustrated when the start of the match was delayed. Chapman won the toss and chose to bowl on a damp pitch which would have favoured his bowlers. However, the umpires discovered the bails were the wrong size and would not start the game until new ones could be made; in the 20 minutes which were lost, the pitch dried out and England lost much of the advantage of bowling first. Chapman made an official protest before leading his team onto the field. In the series, he scored 75 runs at 10.71, and 471 runs at 27.70 in all first-class games. Wisden observed that "without finding his full powers as a punishing hitter, Chapman occasionally batted well". Socially, the tour was more successful. Chapman was accompanied by his wife, and his parents joined the tour for a time. He took part in many social events and visited several whiskey firms which were associated with his employers in England. Chapman played no further Test cricket; in 26 Tests, he scored 925 runs at an average of 28.90 and held 32 catches. He captained England in 17 matches, winning nine and losing two with the others drawn. Under him the team achieved seven consecutive victories, equalling the English record, which was not surpassed until 2004. His nine victories came in his first nine games as captain. Later career Kent captain Although Chapman lost the England captaincy after the South African tour, he became official captain of Kent in 1931, having previously captained the side occasionally. Wisden commented that Chapman "exercised an invigorating influence" on the side. Before Chapman assumed the Kent captaincy, the county team was sharply divided along social lines and the amateur leadership was aloof from and often dismissive of the professional players. Members of the team felt that he improved the atmosphere within the side and made the game enjoyable. Critics and players thought that he was past his best by the time he became captain, and already affected by