He was in the same rugby age group as Clive Stuart-Smith and they regularly battled for the number 9 shirt at English schoolboy level.
He signed for Gloucestershire County Cricket Club aged 16 and was identified as a potential successor for Jack Russell with whom he eventually trained and played in the same team.
Pope played for England at the 2002 ICC Under-19 World Cup in New Zealand and youth Test Match series against West Indies and India.
Since retiring from cricket, Pope has qualified as a PE teacher and taught in Kenya for seven years before returning to the UK.
In 2020 he was recruited to participate in the English deaf cricket team and trained with the squad following the approach to him as he requires a hearing aid.