While teaching at Christchurch Boys' High School[2] he appeared for Canterbury, playing his first game as an opening batsman in the 1919–20 season.

[3] He became a regular player in the Canterbury side, but his achievements to the end of the 1922–23 season were modest: in 12 first-class matches he had made 510 runs at 22.17,[4] with a top score of 65 (in an opening partnership of 208 with Roger Blunt) against MCC in 1922–23.

Wellington batted first and made 560, and Otago replied with 385, Worker scoring 106 and making an opening partnership of 154 in 76 minutes with James Shepherd.

[10] When Wellington made 465 in their second innings their opening batsman Syd Hiddleston scored 150 to set a new Plunket Shield record of 505 runs in a season.

The next day Worker made 94, putting on 155 with Shepherd in 85 minutes,[11] and beating Hiddleston's record by 10 runs,[12] but Otago, needing 641 to win, were dismissed for 495.

He toured Australia with a New Zealand side in 1925–26, playing all four first-class matches, but finished seventh in both aggregates and averages, with 195 runs at 27.85.