Watson made his debut in minor counties cricket for Norfolk in the 1910 Minor Counties Championship against Suffolk,[1] winning the Minor Counties Championship in his first season.[2] He made two appearances in his debut season but followed this up with nine in 1911, and eight in 1912.[1] Norfolk against won the Minor Counties Championship in 1913,[2] with Watson playing nine matches in that season.[1] It was in 1913 that he made his debut in first-class cricket for the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) against Kent at Lord's,[3] with him taking a wicket with his first delivery in first-class cricket when he dismissed England Test cricketer Frank Woolley.[2] He followed this up with a further first-class appearance for the MCC in that season, before making a further four in 1914.[3] He took his only first-class five wicket haul in this season against Hampshire. Additionally, Watson appeared in seven matches for Norfolk throughout that season.[1]
Following the First World War, Watson played two first-class matches for the MCC in 1919 against Yorkshire and Oxford University.[3] before resuming his minor counties career with Norfolk in 1920, making six appearances,[1] as well as a single appearance for the MCC against Nottinghamshire at Lord's.[3] He made nine appearances for Norfolk in 1921,[1] as well as playing his final three first-class matches for the MCC against Kent, Cambridge University and Oxford University.[3] Watson played a total of twelve first-class matches for the MCC, taking 37 wickets at an average of 24.48.[4] With the bat, he scored 176 runs at a batting average of 9.77, with a high score of 45.[5] Watson's best season in minor counties cricket came in 1922, when he took 59 wickets at a bowling average of 14.37 across his thirteen matches.[1][2] He made ten appearances for Norfolk in 1923, and followed this up with nine in the following season.[1] It was in 1924 that he was selected to play what would be his final appearance in first-class cricket for a combined Minor Counties cricket team against the touring South Africans.[3] He made ten appearances for Norfolk in 1925, but made no appearances in 1926.[1] He played three further matches for the county in 1927.[1] In 95 appearances for Norfolk in the Minor Counties Championship, Watson took 384 wickets at an average of 17.23.[2]
Outside of playing, Watson was also a coach, coaching cricket at RNC Dartmouth, Bishop's Stortford College and the Perse School. He was also later employed as the head porter at Trinity College, Cambridge.[2] He died at Hauxton, Cambridgeshire on 14 March 1969.