Emerson Rodwell

Emerson Rodwell joined the Glenorchy DCC in 1935-36, aged 15, while attending the Hutchins School. His promising cricket career was cut short by WW2 and while serving in Borneo with the 2/24th battalion he was awarded the Military Medal. Having been denied six years of cricket as a consequence of the war, Rodwell returned to TCA cricket at the conclusion of hostilities and played with the Glenorchy club until the end of the 1963-64 season.

In 1947-48 he was selected to play for the state and was appointed captain in 1950, leading Tasmania on eight occasions before retiring from first-class cricket in 1956. He scored 709 runs in 18 appearances during Tasmania's isolation from first-class cricket in Australia.

By the end of his career Rodwell, an aggressive top-order right-handed batsman, had amassed 11,542 first grade runs from 337 innings at an average of 38.47. He won the TCA batting averages on six occasions and was the Association's highest run-scorer five times. In 1949-50 he compiled 1071 runs - exceeded since only by Ron Morrisby (1099) in 1951-52. Only Morrisby (16,000) and, 100 years earlier, Ken Burn (12,100) have scored more runs in TCA first grade cricket. In 1950-51 Rodwell made his highest score of 215 v Kingborough. An allrounder, Rodwell claimed 331 wickets with his medium-pace bowling and one of the wickets was a legitimate under-arm delivery at Kingston. His best return was 7 for 44. In 2007 the Emerson Rodwell Medal was named in his honour for the TCA grade cricketer of the year.

Rodwell led his club during a period of almost total domination of the TCA. From 1948-49 until 1958-59 the club, under Rodwell's leadership, won the TCA premiership on seven occasions - and were runners up in the other three seasons. He later guided the club to an unsurpassed eighth flag in 1962-63. Burn (Wellington) and Charles Eady (Break o'Day) were the next most successful with five premierships each. Rodwell was also a dominant player in the intra-state competition, leading the Southern XI against the NTCA when rivalry was as equally fierce as the Pura Cup is today.

A life member at Glenorchy, Rodwell was an active administrator and served as the club's delegate to the TCA and contributed to several TCA subcommittees, including chairman of the Umpires Appointment Board. Rodwell was well known as the face of Tasmanian cricket, particularly during the 1960s with his expert commentary when the ABC covered local cricket extensively through radio and television. Rodwell's recently deceased wife Peg was also a life member of the club and their four sons, Peter, Michael, Len, and Anthony each made their mark in the game. Mike Gandy