Having retired from top-tier football, Loxton soon broke into first-class cricket. He was selected for Victoria to make his debut in the match against Queensland in December 1946 because five players, including Miller, were playing in a Test match for Australia against England during their Test tour. The debutant scored 232 not out, sharing a Victorian record sixth-wicket partnership of 289 with Doug Ring, who made 145. When he had scored 183, Loxton hit himself on the head with his bat in attempting a hook shot, but continued batting until the end of Victoria's innings and then opened the bowling in Queensland's innings. He took the first wicket before going off to hospital with concussion. Recovering in time to bowl in the second innings, he took 2wickets for 40 runs (2/40) in an innings win. Loxton's 232 not out remains a record debut score in Australian first-class cricket. His debut performance was enough for him to keep his place when the Test players returned, and he scored 73 and took a total of 3/17 in the next match against arch-rivals New South Wales, which Victoria won by an innings. He compiled 87 in the next match against Queensland, and Victoria won all but one of the five Sheffield Shield matches in which he played—the only draw was washed out—to claim the title. The all-rounder finished the season atop Victoria's batting averages, with 429 runs at a batting average of 143.00. He also headed the bowling averages with 8wickets at 14.00 runs apiece.