Making his Second Eleven debut as a fast medium bowler in 1989, local boy Bobby Chapman, born 28 July 1972 in Nottingham, joined the full time Notts staff in 1992.
He made his First-Class debut the same summer against Warwickshire at Edgbaston when both Lewis and Cairns were absent through injury. In 1993 he was not seen at all in the first team but played three First-Class and five Sunday League games in 1994 and the following season featured in eight First-Class games, though at more than 70 runs each, his wickets were expensive.
He played for the county until 1996, with a best return of 6-105, and his most notable performance was against the South Africans in a tour match at Trent Bridge, taking five wickets, including dismissing opening batsman, Liebenburg for 0 in each innings. Chapman left Notts in August 1996 for Worcestershire where he remained until 2000. He then played for Lincolnshire under the captaincy of another ex Notts player, Mark Fell. Chapman played in the Notts Premier League for Clifton.
Whilst with Clifton he had the opportunity to bowl at a young and up-and-coming Notts batsman who had been loaned out to Bridon CC for the one game; Chapman beat the youngster twice in his opening over and then, with the rest of his team-mates, watched as Kevin Pietersen made 127no off 86 balls with 15 fours and six sixes, the last of which finished the game.
Bobby Chapman's father was ‘Sammy’ Chapman, the former Nottingham Forest footballer, who played more than 350 games for Forest and another 40 or so for Notts County.
June 2020
Nottinghamshire First-Class Number: 523