Shackleton made his first-class debut for Gloucestershire against Surrey in the 1971 County Championship.
[5] A week earlier he had played in the final of 1977 Benson & Hedges Cup which Gloucestershire won by beating Kent.
In 1990 Shackleton made his List A debut for Dorset against Glamorgan in the first round of the 1990 NatWest Trophy.
[3] Shackleton had a disappointing time with the ball in his List A career for Dorset, taking only one wicket at an average of 163.00.
[4] Since the end of his playing career, Shackleton became a cricket coach at Canford School.