He began playing in the Derbyshire Second XI in 1964, and made his first-class debut at the end of the 1965 season, in a victory against Nottinghamshire.
Less agile, and supplemented by Derbyshire's Danish wonder, Ole Mortensen, Russell brought no shame upon himself in his later years.
Russell was a right-arm medium pace bowler and took 339 first-class wickets at an average of 30.53 and a best performance of 7-46.
He was a right-handed batsman, and played 170 first-class matches with an average of 12.31 and a top score of 73.
[1] He went on to have a distinguished career as Head Groundsman at Kingsmead Stadium, Durban, South Africa.