 He made his first-class debut for Worcestershire in August 1919 against HK Foster's XI, taking the wickets of Sidney Freeman and Howard Battersea but being dismissed for nought in his only innings.The following season Worcestershire rejoined the County Championship and Coventry played three matches, all in August, taking six wickets — the most he was to achieve in a single season
— including the wickets of both Percy Holmes and Herbert Sutcliffe in the same innings of the match against Yorkshire.For the next two seasons Coventry played little first-class cricket — though in 1922 he made his highest score, 86 against Derbyshire
— but in 1923 he made 18 appearances, scoring 544 runs and making two more half-centuries.