 Parkin played at or , i.e., number 6, or 7, and also captained England for whom he made 12 appearances, as well as 17 for Yorkshire.Parkin gave the Wakefield Trinity club seventeen years' service, including victory in the 1924–25 Yorkshire Cup.Parkin was born in Sharlston on 5 November 1894, and later played for the Sharlston rugby league club.