 In 1884-85 Barton set a record for the highest score in a senior match in New Zealand when he made 190 for the Auckland Cricket Club; it was surpassed later in the season by a batsman in Christchurch who made 220.In all matches in 1884-85 he scored 922 runs at an average of 48.54, including three centuries for the Auckland club.In a match in January 1886, Barton, "a cricketer who has not been equalled in New Zealand for the number of centuries he has scored", made 195 for the Auckland club.