Mike Shelley (born 13 March 1972 in Leeds)[1] is a former rugby union player who became the longest serving player in the history of Leeds Tykes rugby club, having joined them in 1996 from West Hartlepool. He made his Tykes debut against Otley RUFC on 31 August 1996.
| Birth name | Michael Shelley | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 13 March 1972 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Leeds, England | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (188 cm) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 18 st 7 lb (117 kg) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
At the end of the 2005–06 season, despite being due a testimonial, he made the decision to retire after 10 years and 244 appearances for the club.
Shelley was made captain for the 2000–01 season, a role he continued until the 2003–04 campaign.
That campaign saw Shelley reach the 200 appearance mark for the Tykes and he enjoyed one of his proudest moments for the club when he lifted the Powergen Cup after their win over Bath Rugby at Twickenham in 2005.[2][3] Although Iain Balshaw was the official captain on that day, he went off injured early in the game and Shelley took the on-field captaincy.
Shelley started his career at local club side Moortown, leaving them after one season to join West Park Bramhope. He did not become a prop until he went to Newcastle University where he played first for Medicals RFC and the University's 1st XV but a year later he was in Bramhope's 1st XV and two years after that he was playing in the First Division with West Hartlepool.[1]
After two seasons with Wests, Phil Davies persuaded him to step down two divisions to join the new set up at Headingley, where he was given the role of development officer.[1]
Two seasons in the 3rd division and three in the 2nd put his international career on hold for five years or so, but he returned to the England set-up with a return to the Premiership. In 2002 Shelley was called in to the England 'A' side,[4] and again in 2003.[5]
Shelley's form at the end of the 2004–05 season saw him recalled to the England 'A' side, when he joined the team for the Churchill Cup tournament.
Shelley now resides in Calgary, where he is the coach for local rugby team Prairie Wolf Pack.[6]
Honours edit
- Powergen Cup/Anglo-Welsh Cup titles: 1
- 2005
Notes edit
- ^ a b c "Mike Shelley: Player profile". leedscarnegie.com. Archived from the original on 13 July 2011. Retrieved 1 January 2011.
- ^ "Shelley's winning tips for Leeds". BBC Sport. 16 April 2009. Retrieved 1 January 2011.
- ^ "Bath 12-20 Leeds". BBC. 16 April 2005. Retrieved 14 July 2013.
- ^ "Shelley joins England 'A' squad". BBC Sport. 18 January 2002. Retrieved 1 January 2011.
- ^ Craven, Dave (10 February 2003). "Tykes star Shelley joins the 'A' team". Yorkshire Evening Post. Retrieved 1 January 2011.
- ^ Kennedy, Tom (6 August 2010). "Canadian Rugby Championship announces squads and schedule". RugbyRugby.com. Archived from the original on 24 December 2010. Retrieved 1 January 2011.