Chris Atkin

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.

Chris Atkin
Personal information
Full nameChristopher Atkin
Born (1993-02-07) 7 February 1993
Widnes, Cheshire, England
Height5 ft 8 in (1.72 m)
Weight12 st 13 lb (82 kg)
Playing information
PositionStand-off, Scrum-half, Hooker, Fullback
Club
Years Team Pld T G FG P
2014–17 Swinton Lions 100 44 268 9 721
2017–19 Hull Kingston Rovers 68 15 5 5 75
2020– Salford Red Devils 11 2 0 0 8
Total 179 61 273 14 804
Representative
Years Team Pld T G FG P
2018 England Knights 2 0 0 0 0
As of 5 January 2021
Source: [1][2]

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

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
Atkin playing for the Swinton Lions

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.

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 the Leeds Rhinos in 2018, where he won the Sky Sports' 'Man-of-the-Match' Award.[8][9]

Chris scored his first try for Hull Kingston Rovers on 2 April 2018, in a 44-6 Super League defeat by the Wigan Warriors at the DW Stadium.

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.[10]

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.[11] He played against Papua New Guinea at the Oil Search National Football Stadium.[12]

References
  1. Rugby League Project
  2. loverugbyleague
  3. "Hero Chris Atkin puts Swinton Lions in Grand Final with last-ditch win over York". Salford Online. 28 September 2015. Retrieved 14 October 2016.
  4. "Atkin looking to make the most of Whitehaven game". Total RL. 5 March 2016. Retrieved 14 October 2016.
  5. "Widnes rugby youngster Chris Atkin hoping for World Cup future". Liverpool Echo. 8 June 2013. Retrieved 14 October 2016.
  6. "Hull KR's financial pledge to fast-track Chris Atkin deal". The Yorkshire Post. 10 July 2017. Retrieved 26 September 2018.
  7. "Halifax vs Hull KR LIVE – Score updates, match action, pictures and reaction". Hull Daily Mail. 23 July 2017. Retrieved 26 September 2018.
  8. "Leeds 20-11 Hull KR: Rhinos edge spirited Rovers in Super League". Sky Sports. 9 February 2018. Retrieved 26 September 2018.
  9. "Live Commentary". Sky Sports. 8 February 2018. Retrieved 26 September 2018.
  10. "Ten new additions in England Knights squad". loverugbyleague. 24 July 2018. Retrieved 31 October 2019.
  11. "Papua New Guinea vs England Knights". WWOS. 27 October 2018. Retrieved 30 October 2019.
  12. "Papua New Guinea v England Knights". WWOS. 3 November 2018. Retrieved 29 October 2019.
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