Southampton in 1925. This marked the start of a period of superb matches. The 1926 Whitsuntide found Wally Hardinge joined by a new star in APF Chapman in a partnership of 297 for the fourth wicket. Percy Chapman had a brilliant career at Uppingham and Cambridge University and played for Berkshire in the Minor Counties before qualifying by residence for Kent, where he entered the brewery business. A former director of the brewery had bet Chapman 50 cigars that he wouldn’t score a century and offered him two bottles of port for each fifty. An unbeaten 159 led to the director receiving a telegram: “Six Cockburn 1896: 2 large Coronas, Percy.” A tall, polished, left-handed batsman who excelled in the off drive, Chapman was an attacking player who captained England in 17 of his 26 Tests and led Kent from 1931 to 1936. Hampshire staged a remarkable fight back in the 1926 Canterbury game. Centuries from Hardinge and Chapman placed Kent in a strong position and at tea on the second day Hampshire, 268 behind on the first innings, were 57 for six. Most people thought it would be all over within half-an-hour on the final morning but Mead and John Parker, a young amateur, added 194 before the close. When Parker was out for 156 on the third day, the pair had taken their seventh wicket stand to 270 in 170 minutes. Livsey then helped Mead put on 84 for the ninth wicket, Mead carrying his bat for 175 in a total of 439. It left Kent just over two hours to make 172, a stand of 135 in little more than an hour by Woolley and Chapman bringing victory by nine wickets. The following year, 1927, saw Hampshire pull off a remarkable win at Southampton. Newman took 12-176 but Hampshire needed 375 in the fourth innings. Brown, Newman and Day made runs but inevitably it was Mead who saw them home by four wickets. He was still there at the end on 108, winning this particular battle with Freeman who finished with an analysis of 29.2-4-115-0. Honours were usually even in such duels; so it proved at Canterbury in August 1927. Hampshire, following on 326 behind after Freeman had taken six for 38, made a better fist of it in the second innings although everybody bar Mead struggled against the leg spinner. His effort to save the match spanned four hours and with the last man Boyes as his partner Mead prepared to face Freeman for the final over. By the time the last ball was due to be bowled most of the crowd had accepted what appeared to be the inevitable and began heading home. Mead played for the ball to come straight on but it was a googly which went off the edge to slip. Mead caught Woolley bowled Freeman 128; Freeman eight for 91, 14-129 in the match, Kent beat Hampshire by an innings and 92 runs. Neither Mead (40) nor Freeman (39) could be described as being in the first flush of youth but the individual battles of 1927 between the Championship’s record-holders represent a high water mark in county cricket. The holiday fixtures changed in 1928 and hereabouts it might be useful to explain the pattern. Hampshire and Kent met from 1920 to 1927, in 1930 and 1933 and from 1936 to 1939. Kent faced Gloucestershire in 1929, 1932 and 1935 and Somerset in 1928, 1931 and 1934. Hampshire’s opponents were Gloucestershire in 1928, 1931 and 1934 and Somerset in 1929, 1932 and 1935. There were fresh highlights. In 1928 Kent visited Taunton at Whitsuntide, Chapman and Ames adding 237 for the fourth wicket in an innings victory over Somerset. It was back to normal for 1930, Kent winning at Southampton but rain washing out the last two days of the Canterbury fixture. In the meantime, Mead soldiered on. At Bristol in 1931 Johnnie Arnold made a century as Hampshire defeated Gloucestershire by 66 runs and then at Southampton Mead battled away for an The Record Holders 88