Ernest Arthur Randell (25 January 1873 – 12 May 1938) was an Australian

cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by str ...

er who played three first-class matches for

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

in the 1890s. He was an

all-rounder An all-rounder is a cricketer who regularly performs well at both batting and bowling. Although all bowlers must bat and quite a handful of batsmen do bowl occasionally, most players are skilled in only one of the two disciplines and are consi ...

who batted left-handed and bowled left-arm orthodox spin.

Early life

Randell was born in

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth i ...

to Mary Louise (née Smith) and

George Randell George Randell (5 October 1830 – 2 June 1915) was an Australian businessman and politician. He served intermittently in the Parliament of Western Australia between 1875 and 1910, including as a minister in the government of Sir John Forrest. ...

, his father being a prominent businessman and member of parliament."The Late Mr. E. A. Randell"
– ''

The West Australian ''The West Australian'' is the only locally edited daily newspaper published in Perth, Western Australia. It is owned by Seven West Media (SWM), as is the state's other major newspaper, '' The Sunday Times''. It is the second-oldest continuous ...

''. Published 2 December 2012. After his mother's death in August 1874, his father remarried to Lucy James Francisco, who had been widowed the previous year. Randell thus became the step-brother of

Walter James Walter may refer to: People * Walter (name), both a surname and a given name * Little Walter, American blues harmonica player Marion Walter Jacobs (1930–1968) * Gunther (wrestler), Austrian professional wrestler and trainer Walter Hahn (born 1 ...

(ten years his elder), who would later become

Premier of Western Australia The premier of Western Australia is the head of government of the state of Western Australia. The role of premier at a state level is similar to the role of the prime minister of Australia at a federal level. The premier leads the executive bra ...

Cricket career

Randell played for the

Perth Cricket Club Perth Cricket Club is a cricket team based in Perth, Western Australia. The club competes in the Western Australian Grade Cricket (Premier cricket) competition. History The club was officially formed on May 23, 1862. at a meeting held at th ...

in WACA grade cricket, and led the competition's batting aggregates during the 1890–91 season. He was selected to tour the eastern colonies with a state team in early 1893, and played in both first-class matches on tour, against

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

and

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

. He opened the batting with William Back in the second match. Randell's only further first-class appearance came when South Australia toured Western Australia at the end of the 1898–99 season. Batting at number ten in both innings, he scored 36 runs in the second, his highest first-class score. Randell continued to play at a high level for several more years.Miscellaneous Matches played by Ernest Randell (5)
– CricketArchive. Retrieved 2 December 2012.

Later life

Randell worked for periods in Western Australia's

Education Education is a purposeful activity directed at achieving certain aims, such as transmitting knowledge or fostering skills and character traits. These aims may include the development of understanding, rationality, kindness, and honesty ...

and Treasury Departments, and later in the private sector. He was a resident of Gunyidi, a small town in the

Mid West The Midwestern United States, also referred to as the Midwest or the American Midwest, is one of four Census Bureau Region, census regions of the United States Census Bureau (also known as "Region 2"). It occupies the northern central part of ...

, for a period of time. Following his father into the Congregationalist movement, Randell was heavily involved with the Trinity Congregational Church in Perth, serving as a church officer as well as superintendent of the church's Sunday school. He died at the Mount Hospital in Perth in May 1938, and was buried in the Congregational section of

Karrakatta Cemetery Karrakatta Cemetery is a metropolitan cemetery in the suburb of Karrakatta in Perth, Western Australia. Karrakatta Cemetery first opened for burials in 1899, the first being that of wheelwright Robert Creighton. Managed by the Metropolitan Ce ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Randell, Ernest 1873 births 1938 deaths Australian Congregationalist ministers Australian cricketers Australian people of English descent Burials at Karrakatta Cemetery Public servants of Western Australia Cricketers from Perth, Western Australia Western Australia cricketers