He was a wicketkeeper and hard-hitting left-handed batsman. Hartley was announced Sheffield Shield player of the 2009–10 season. In 2016, he took his 500th Sheffield Shield catch, the first wicket-keeper to do so. In February 2017 he equalled Darren Berry’s record for the most dismissals by a wicket-keeper in the Sheffield Shield, when he took his 546th dismissal. Later that month, he played in his 100th consecutive Sheffield Shield match. In March 2017, he announced his retirement from domestic cricket.
Chris Hartley was the College Captain of Brisbane Boys’ College in 1999 and later returned as President of the Old Collegians’ Association.