Chris Atkin
Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Full name | Christopher Atkin | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Born | Widnes, Cheshire, England | 7 February 1993|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Height | 5 ft 8 in (1.72 m) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Weight | 12 st 13 lb (82 kg) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Playing information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Position | Stand-off, Scrum-half, Hooker, Fullback | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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As of 17 June 2021 |
Christopher Atkin (born 7 February 1993) is an English professional rugby league footballer who plays as a scrum-half, stand-off or hooker for the Salford Red Devils in the Betfred Super League and the England Knights at international level.
He has previously played for the Swinton Lions in League 1 and the Championship, occasionally playing as a fullback.[3][4] Atkin also played for Hull Kingston Rovers in the Championship and the Super League.
Background[]
Atkin was born in Widnes, Cheshire, England.
Personal life[]
He is a graduate of Liverpool John Moores University.
He is also a qualified teacher, previously teaching Physical Education at Wade Deacon High School in Widnes.
Playing career[]
Early career[]
Widnes Vikings' Academy[]
2013[]
Atkin was in the Widnes Vikings' Academy System and he has previously played for the England Students in the 2013 Student Rugby League World Cup.[5]
Atkin was then eventually released by the Widnes Vikings' Academy System due to them already having two established young halves in Tom Gilmore and Danny Craven.
Senior career[]
Swinton (2014-17)[]
2014[]
Between 2014 and 2017, he played for the Swinton Lions on a part-time basis under Head Coach, John Duffy.
2015[]
Atkin was the hero in the Lions' 2015 play-off semi-final victory over the York City Knights, slotting over the match-winning drop-goal in golden-point extra-time, to secure their spot in the 2015 play-off final.
Once again, Atkin's impressive performance in the 2015 play-off final against the Keighley Cougars proved to be the difference at the final whistle.
Swinton Lions gained promotion to the Championship with a thrilling 29-28 victory over the Keighley Cougars, with Atkin scoring a try and kicking over a drop-goal, which proved to be the deciding factor come the end of the match.
2016[]
Atkin proved to be a pivotal player in the Lions' 2016 Championship campaign.
2017[]
Chris recorded exactly one-hundred appearances for the Swinton Lions and he scored over seven-hundred points in the process. He went down as one of the club's best players in their most recent history.
Hull Kingston Rovers (2017 - 2019)[]
2017[]
Atkin was originally slated to join Hull Kingston Rovers in the 2018 season, but due to financial difficulties at the Swinton Lions, Hull Kingston Rovers agreed to pay the Lions a five-figure transfer fee to secure Atkin's services with immediate effect during the dying stages of the 2017 season.[6]
On 23 July 2017, Atkin made his Hull Kingston Rovers' début against Halifax, in a 28-6 Championship league defeat.[7]
Atkin was part of the Hull Kingston Rovers' side that won promotion back to the Super League, at the first time of asking following relegation the season prior.
2018[]
Following an impressive start to his Hull Kingston Rovers' career in the latter-stages of the 2017 Championship season, Atkin was quickly handed his Super League bow in round two against Leeds in 2018, where he won the Sky Sports' 'Man-of-the-Match' Award.[8][9]
Atkin scored his first try for Hull Kingston Rovers on 2 April 2018, in a 44-6 Super League defeat by Wigan at the DW Stadium.
Salford (2020 - present)[]
In round 10 of the 2021 Super League season, Atkin kicked the winning field goal for Salford in their 9-8 victory over Huddersfield.[10]
Representative career[]
England Knights (2018)[]
2018[]
It was announced by the Rugby Football League on 7 March 2018, that Atkin had been selected in the 25-man England Knights' Performance Squad, that would be touring Papua New Guinea for a two-game Test match series later in the year.[11]
Chris made his début for the England Knights against Papua New Guinea on 27 October 2018, the game played in Lae ended in a 12-16 victory to the Knights.[12] He played against Papua New Guinea at the Oil Search National Football Stadium.[13]
References[]
- ^ Rugby League Project
- ^ loverugbyleague
- ^ "Hero Chris Atkin puts Swinton Lions in Grand Final with last-ditch win over York". Salford Online. 28 September 2015. Retrieved 14 October 2016.
- ^ "Atkin looking to make the most of Whitehaven game". Total RL. 5 March 2016. Retrieved 14 October 2016.
- ^ "Widnes rugby youngster Chris Atkin hoping for World Cup future". Liverpool Echo. 8 June 2013. Retrieved 14 October 2016.
- ^ "Hull KR's financial pledge to fast-track Chris Atkin deal". The Yorkshire Post. 10 July 2017. Retrieved 26 September 2018.
- ^ "Halifax vs Hull KR LIVE – Score updates, match action, pictures and reaction". Hull Daily Mail. 23 July 2017. Retrieved 26 September 2018.
- ^ "Leeds 20-11 Hull KR: Rhinos edge spirited Rovers in Super League". Sky Sports. 9 February 2018. Retrieved 26 September 2018.
- ^ "Live Commentary". Sky Sports. 8 February 2018. Retrieved 26 September 2018.
- ^ "Huddersfield Giants 8-9 Salford Red Devils". www.bbc.co.uk.
- ^ "Ten new additions in England Knights squad". loverugbyleague. 24 July 2018. Retrieved 31 October 2019.
- ^ "Papua New Guinea vs England Knights". WWOS. 27 October 2018. Retrieved 30 October 2019.
- ^ "Papua New Guinea v England Knights". WWOS. 3 November 2018. Retrieved 29 October 2019.
External links[]
- Living people
- 1993 births
- England Knights national rugby league team players
- English rugby league players
- Hull Kingston Rovers players
- Rugby league fullbacks
- Rugby league halfbacks
- Rugby league players from Widnes
- Salford Red Devils players
- Swinton Lions players