Odell played cricket as an amateur, and was a right-handed lower middle order batsman and a right-arm medium pace bowler. He made his first-class cricket debut in a game for Leicestershire against the London County Cricket Club, and his first bowling victim was W. G. Grace, caught on the long-on boundary. In the return match two weeks later he took nine wickets for 73 runs in the game, Grace again being one of his victims. And in the following Leicestershire game, against Warwickshire, he went one better with match figures of 10 wickets for 103 runs.