Chiefly remembered as a left-arm orthodox spin bowler, Howorth also occasionally bowled medium pace and was a capable hard-hitting left-handed batsman.

[1] As well as becoming one of the oldest English players to make his England debut at 38 years 112 days, Howorth took a wicket with his first ball in Test cricket, only the fifth Englishman to do so.

In 1935, however, Howorth suddenly jumped to the top flight of slow left-hand bowlers in county cricket, with a total of 121 wickets for Worcestershire at an average cost of less than nineteen runs each, and the following year he maintained his skill as a bowler and, called upon to open with Worcestershire's batting weakened by the absence of Cyril Walters and the Nawab of Pataudi, hit 114 out of 173 against Kent.

In his benefit year of 1949, he was again second to Goddard in the averages, and managed a career-best 7 for 18 on a turning pitch at Northampton (only Ken Higgs and Bishen Bedi have taken more first-class wickets without once taking eight in an innings).

Without achieving anything approaching his outstanding 1947 season, Howorth still headed Worcestershire's bowling averages in 1950 and 1951, but in the latter year his batting declined so much he only once reached fifty in an innings.