He played club level rugby league (RU) for Sandal RUFC, and representative level rugby league (RL) for Great Britain and England, and at club level for Wakefield Trinity (two spells, including the second as a World War II guest), Hunslet, Featherstone Rovers (four spells, including the first three as a World War II guest) (captain), Leeds (two spells, including the first as a World War II guest), Castleford (World War II guest) and Bradford Northern, as a wing, and coached at club level for Featherstone Rovers, and Batley.

[1][5] Eric Batten appeared in eight Challenge Cup Finals; two for Leeds, five for Bradford Northern, and one for Featherstone Rovers, winning three, and losing five, he scored a total of 443 tries during his career,[6] he his third on the all-time try scorers list behind Brian Bevan (796 tries), and Billy Boston (571 tries),[7] Eric Batten's birth was registered in Sculcoates district, Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England.

During the war years, Eric returned to Wakefield Trinity as a World War II guest, playing two matches in May 1940, and one February 1943, in these three wartime matches he scored eight tries, including four against Huddersfield in May 1940, making his club total 20 tries in 44 appearances.

[9] and played in Bradford Northern's 26-20 aggregate victory over Halifax in the Championship Final during the 1944–45 season; the 2–9 defeat at Thrum Hall, Halifax, and the 24–11 victory at Odsal Stadium, Bradford.

Batten played in Leeds' 19–2 victory over Halifax in the 1940–41 Challenge Cup Final during the 1940–41 season at Odsal Stadium, Bradford, in front of a crowd of 28,500, played in the 15-16 aggregate defeat by Dewsbury in the 1942–43 Challenge Cup Final during the 1942–43 season; the 9–16 defeat at Crown Flatt, Dewsbury on Sunday 9 May 1943, in front of a crowd of 10,470, and the 6–0 victory at Headingley, Leeds on Sunday 16 May 1943, in front of a crowd of 16,000, played in Bradford Northern's 8-3 aggregate victory over Wigan in the 1943–44 Challenge Cup Final during the 1943–44 season; the 0–3 defeat at Central Park, Wigan on Saturday 15 April 1944, and the 8–0 victory at Odsal Stadium, Bradford on Saturday 22 April 1944, played in the 9-13 aggregate defeat by Huddersfield in the 1944–45 Challenge Cup Final during the 1944–45 season; the 4–7 defeat at Fartown, Huddersfield, and the 5–6 defeat at Odsal Stadium, Bradford, played in the 8–4 victory over Leeds in the 1946–47 Challenge Cup Final during the 1946–47 season at Wembley Stadium, London on Saturday 3 May 1947, played on the wing in the 3–8 defeat by Wigan in the 1947–48 Challenge Cup Final during the 1947–48 season at Wembley Stadium, London on Saturday 1 May 1948, in front of a crowd of 91,465,[10] and played on the wing in Featherstone Rovers' 10–18 defeat by Workington Town in the 1951–52 Challenge Cup Final during the 1951–52 season at Wembley Stadium, London on Saturday 19 April 1952, in front of a crowd of 72,093.