Jack Russell (cricketer, born 1963)

Robert Charles Russell

Source: [1], 5 August 2005

Robert Charles Russell (known as "Jack") Born: 15 August 1963, Stroud, Gloucestershire Major Teams: Gloucestershire, England.

Left Hand Bat Wicketkeeper

Test Debut: England v Sri Lanka at Lord's1988, Last Test: England v West Indies at St John's, 6th Test, 1997/98

ODI Debut: England v Pakistan at Peshawar, 3rd ODI, 1987/88 Last ODI: England v South Africa at Dhaka, Wills International Cup, 1998/99

Wisden Cricketer of the Year 1990

Early Career

Always a sporty type, Robert Charles "Jack" Russell (he gained the nick name for scampering between the wickets) gained the support he needed to become a first class cricketer from his father John at Stroud Cricket Club, and at Archway School, Stroud under the tutelage of sports master Ricky Rutter.

Two days before his fourteenth birthday, he saw a catch on television that changed his life. "McCosker ... caught Knott ... bowled Greig, Headingley '77." Russell himself has commented: "Low down, one handed, across first slip. Brilliant. I thought then that I would like to be able to do that. That's where it started, that was the inspiration '(for becoming a Wicket Keeper)'."

Rutter guided Russell towards Gloucestershire County Cricket Club, and resultantly Russell stayed at Archway for one year of Sixth Form college, before heading to Bristol Technical College for one term and joining Gloucestershire full time in 1981.

County and Test Career

Jack Russell was on the wrong end of many controversial Test selections, frequently being passed over in favour of Alec Stewart on account of his superior batting ability. However, his wicket-keeping was second-to-none. He could also be a unorthodox but resolute lower-order batsman - his unbeaten 29 in 277 minutes at Johannesburg in 1995-96 is often forgotten, an innings which, along with that of Michael Atherton, saved the Test.

In 1990, he was Wisden's Cricketer of the Year. As Wisden's put it:

At the beginning of 1989, Jack Russell had played only one Test for England and was not considered a good enough batsman to merit a place in the one-day squad to face the Australians. By the end of the year he was the only Englishman who could justifiably expect a place in anyone's World XI.

Why? Simply put, dogged determination. It was his batting that got the fan's on their feet - not the high scores, but the dogged determination to stay and grit it out agianst the Aussie's, who in the first test of the 1989 Ashes had thought Russell weak. So, with mentor Alan Knot, Russell turned up early for the second test at Lord's and for 20mins had the MCC Ground Staff boys chuck plastic ball's at him - without Russell batting a stroke, just ducking and diving to miss the short-type deliveries. That day, Russell also turned on his sharpest Anglo-Saxon language in response to the Aussie's sledging - and after scoring 64n.o., the Aussie's never tried it with him again: Russel had crosssed the rubicon of international cricket, and never looked back. In the third test at Edgbaston, he scored the second highest score in the first inning at 42. But his greatest achievement was to come in the fourth test at Old Trafford, where in the summer of the South African cricket rebels and a near certain defeat, for six hours he held up Aussie celebration by scoring his maiden test century and highest ever score in cricket to almost save the test for England: 126. Russell had achieved something only one other Englishman had this century, Billy Griffith against West Indies in 1947-48 - but it was lost in the furor of the South African debacle, and the loss of the series. Russell finished the Ashes series as England's third most successful batsman with 314 runs and an average of 39.25.

The summer of 1989 gave Russell a run in the England side, but his batting never reached such scoring heights again, and the game was moving forward in a new era of revolving score boards - 6hour stands for 29 was not what was required, however good you were behind the stumps. For reasons of balance and depth of batting, and with his wicket keeping alomsot as good, Alec Stewart often got the gloves ahead of Russel due to his superior batting. Russell was often called up when Engalnd need a good man behind the stumps, but slowly he faded away until 1998, when he curtailed his England career to prolong his County career due to his long standing back injury.

Russell turned himself into part of the hub of Gloucestershire's one day sucess, wnad together with Captain Mark Alleyne won a couple of ODI cups. After an inconsistent season due to persistent back problems, he retired from county cricket in 2004, just short of the age of 41 - a testament to his fitness regime. He was probably at the time still the best Wicket Keeper in the world when stood up.

The Eccentric

Jack was never seen as a true team player, a perception reinforced by his being a loner off the field, his indulgence of his hobby of water colour painting, and his protective attitude to his family life. None of his Gloucestershire team-mates had even been to his home, and he claimed if they ever asked he would be more than willing if they agreed to be blind folded. Some of his more notable oddities included a diet to supplement his extreme fitness regieme, which consisted largely of tea, biscuits and baked beans - and that he only ate Steak & Chips when dining out on tour. He also insisted on always wearing the same battered old sunhat during his time out in the field.

After Retirement from Cricket

After his mentorship from Alan Knott throughout his own career, Russell was highly unlikely to back away completely from cricket. He now provides one-to-one coaching for current England wicketkeeper Geraint Jones, as well as some county level coaching at Gloucestershire.

However his second passion of painting, a piece developed on the England tour of India in 1984/5, and supplemented by sketchbook, pencil and camera: had by now taken over fully. From exhibitions in London and his own Gallery in Chipping Sodbury, to commissions from various sponsors, he can often be found painting sights and scenes of his home area in Stroud.

Trivia

• Like his mentor Alan Knott, a mad tea drinker, Russell would get through 20 cups a day. He used to dip the tea bag in once, add plenty of milk, then hang it on a nail ready for subsequent use. In the final Test against Australia at the Oval in 1989 he used the same bag for all five days, which roughly equates to 100 cups!

External Links

• The Jack Russell Gallery contains notes on his domestic and test cricket records
• Wisden Almanack - Cricketer of the Year 1990