Emerson Rodwell

Edwin Emerson Rodwell, MM (12 April 1921 – 27 February 2011) was an Australian soldier, cricket player, umpire, commentator and administrator. He fought in World War II, in New Guinea, and Borneo, and was awarded the Military Medal. Rodwell was an opening batsman and a prolific run-scorer at club level, and represented Tasmania on 15 occasions at first-class level, captaining the side five times between 1950 and 1951 and 1955–56. He also played three times for a first-class "Tasmania Combined XI". During his captaincy Tasmania won their first first-class match after a winless period of over 20 years, making him the first successful Tasmanian captain since Jim Atkinson in the early 1930s.

Early life

Born in Glenorchy, Tasmania, Emerson Rodwell attended The Hutchins School in Hobart and showed an early talent as an athlete. He was a promising Australian rules football player, who regularly represented Hutchins in the Old Scholars Football Association (OSFA), but his true talent lay in cricket.

By the age of 15 he had made his senior debut for his local side, Glenorchy Cricket Club in the Tasmanian Grade Cricket competition, and was at ease batting against adults at that young age.

He played as an aggressive opening batsman, and enjoyed attacking opening bowlers. By the age of 17 his name was already being discussed amongst state selectors, when his career was interrupted due to the suspension of all grade cricket following the outbreak of World War II. The award was made for his actions during the attack on the "Wills feature". He was a Bren gunner with 1 section, 16 platoon, D Company 2/24th when his section commander was killed. Despite the fact it was his first time in action, Rodwell took command of the remaining members of the section, then placed himself in full view of the main loophole of a Japanese-held concrete pillbox, and fired his Bren gun at the loophole to give another member of his platoon chance to knock out the pillbox with a flamethrower. The award was gazetted on 3 July 1945.

He was discharged from the Army in November 1946, having obtained the rank of Warrant Officer Class 2.

First-class career Despite the interruption of more than six years to his cricketing career due to the war, Rodwell returned to Glenorchy Cricket Club after being demobbed, and set about where he had left off by terrorising the competition in the 1946–47 season. He immediately caught the attention of the state selectors, who finally gave him his long-awaited first-class debut against Victoria at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in January 1948. On debut he made 14 and 23, but performed much better with the ball, taking 3/67 in the first innings, but not getting to bowl in the second, as Victoria won by 10 wickets within 9 overs.

By 1950 Rodwell had been appointed as state captain, and enjoyed reasonable success, winning one and drawing two of the five matches he led the side for. It was an astute piece of captaincy on the part of Rodwell that led to the victory. After winning the toss and putting Victoria in to bat first, Tasmania skittled the Victorians for 119, setting up the victory.

In 1956, Rodwell, at the age of 35 decided to retire from first-class cricket having scored 709 runs and taken 8 wickets in 18 matches, and then returned to concentrating on his career at Glenorchy Cricket Club.