After playing English club cricket as a professional and a few non-first-class matches for Warwickshire, Joseph Lawton was engaged as the coach to the Otago Cricket Association in 1890. He was a useful batsman, but primarily a medium-paced bowler with a low action who bowled with great accuracy and troubled batsmen with his ability to swing the ball. Otago played only two matches in Lawton's first two seasons. In his debut match in 1890-91 he took 4 for 41 and 6 for 30 in a one-wicket victory over Canterbury. In 1891-92 he took 7 for 28 and 2 for 30 in another victory over Canterbury. In the two matches he took 19 for 129 off 139.3 five-ball overs. Although he batted at number three in these matches he did not reach double-figures. In 1892-93 he took eight wickets against Hawke's Bay, nine against Auckland, seven against Wellington and six against Canterbury. He finished the season with 30 wickets at an average of 9.53 and was the leading wicket-taker in the New Zealand season. However, he averaged only 10.00 with the bat, with a highest score of 19.
1893-94
Lawton emerged as an all-rounder in 1893-94, scoring 274 runs at 34.25 and coming second in the national aggregates, and taking 21 wickets at 13.33. He began with 52 and 29, and 4 for 26 and 3 for 49, against Auckland. In the next match, for Otago against New South Wales, he made 58 and 0, and took 3 for 53 and 2 for 24. He was selected in the New Zealand side to play New South Wales, which was the first time a New Zealand national team had played. He bowled with customary economy, but took only three wickets in the match - for 74 runs off 77 six-ball overs. He took six wickets in the next match against Canterbury, then finished his career against Hawke's Bay with 82 and no wicket for 7 off 22 five-ball overs.
Lawton was the first coach engaged by a New Zealand association. According to the New Zealand cricket historianTom Reese, Lawton "revolutionized the game in the south". His beneficent influence on cricket in Otago continued after he ceased playing and even after he returned to England. In the wake of his success, several other coaches from England and Australia were engaged by other associations.
Later life
Lawton returned to England in 1906. He played club cricket in Blackpool until his sixties.
