After his family took him to Headingley to watch Yorkshire as a youngster, Chris Coates became obsessed with both watching and playing cricket. He joined Shelf in 1990 after watching what he describes as ‘his most memorable game’ – the Shelf first team winning the Waddilove Cup final, 13 years after having last lifted it.

Chris believes all his most memorable cricket experiences have come either playing for, or watching, Shelf. "Every game is a funny story when you’re playing for Shelf," he jokes. Just five years after joining the club he captained the under-17s to the league championship, a feat which he remembers to this day as the best in his cricketing career. "It was a fantastic experience for me, I had always wanted to lift a trophy as captain," he said. After the triumph of the cup victory, ‘Coatesy’ (as he is known to his fellow players) led the under- 17s to the final of the T.Joy Cup, also as skipper. However, the previous cup heroics were not to be repeated as the juniors unfortunately lost in the final.

Despite the loss Chris continued to shine at Shelf. He is now a first-team regular, labelling himself as the side’s ‘specialist fielder’. Moreover, his responsibilities have continued at the club. Chris was recently appointed subscription secretary for 2007. This year too, Shelf venture into the Halifax League, having previously played in the Bradford Central League. He believes his obsession for cricket originates in his father’s passion for the game - which Chris confesses has given him the inspiration to strive at sports. However, his father’s quality did not always match his eagerness. Chris admits his father ‘wasn’t very good at sports, which probably inspired me to be good – or not as the case maybe.’

Clearly, Chris is a passionate sportsman - but there may not be too many other Shelf players who are as enthusiastic about water sports as Chris is! "I’ve been doing it for years now, and it is certainly different from a weekend cricket match," he said.

Thanks to David Febrero and Peter Davies from The Cricket History Of Calderdale for their contributions with this profile.