Thomas Marychurch Russell (6 July 1863 – 28 February 1927), birth registered as Thomas Marychurch Freeman,
Retrieved 1 October 2012 was an English

cricket Cricket is a Bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball game played between two Sports team, teams of eleven players on a cricket field, field, at the centre of which is a cricket pitch, pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two Bail (cr ...

er. He was a right-handed batsman and wicket-keeper who played for

Essex Essex ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East of England, and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Kent across the Thames Estuary to the ...

and

Marylebone Cricket Club The Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) is a cricket club founded in 1787 and based since 1814 at Lord's, Lord's Cricket Ground, which it owns, in St John's Wood, London, England. The club was the governing body of cricket from 1788 to 1989 and retain ...

. He was born in

Lewisham Lewisham ( ) is an area of southeast London, England, south of Charing Cross. It is the principal area of the London Borough of Lewisham, and was within the Historic counties of England, historic county of Kent until 1889. It is identified in ...

and died in

Leyton Leyton ( ) is a town in East London, England, within the London Borough of Waltham Forest. It borders Walthamstow to the north, Leytonstone to the east, and Stratford to the south, with Clapton, Hackney Wick and Homerton, across the Ri ...

. Russell played his first two matches for Essex in miscellaneous fixtures against

Leicestershire Leicestershire ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It is bordered by Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire to the north, Rutland to the east, Northamptonshire to the south-east, Warw ...

during the 1893 season, featuring in a game against a team of touring

Australians Australians, colloquially known as Aussies, are the citizenship, citizens, nationality, nationals and individuals associated with the country of Australia. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or ethno-cultural. For most Aust ...

just six weeks later, a match in which one-time Test cricketer and Wisden Cricketer of the Year Walter Mead picked up seventeen wickets, the most valuable haul ever made in a first-class cricket match by an Essex player. Russell's debut first-class match came in 1894, when Essex played in eight miscellaneous first-class fixtures against county-representative teams who, the following year, would convene to set up the brand new County Championship, running its first full season in 1895. Russell performed well, scoring two half-centuries, and making twenty-seven catches and six stumpings as a wicket-keeper. His debut century would follow in a game against

Surrey Surrey () is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Greater London to the northeast, Kent to the east, East Sussex, East and West Sussex to the south, and Hampshire and Berkshire to the wes ...

which the team would win by an innings margin. The final match of Russell's 1896 season saw him score a pair, though confidence was restored when Russell made two stumpings in the first game of 1897. Essex performed well throughout this season, finishing third in the County Championship with seven wins under their belt from a sixteen-match campaign. 1898 was Russell's second-highest scoring season, despite him playing six more first-class matches than in his highest, two years previously. This season also saw him score his second of three first-class centuries, scoring his highest career score thus-far of 122 not out against

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Berkshire to the north, Surrey and West Sussex to the east, the Isle of Wight across the Solent to the south, ...

, a score which would only be improved upon once, in a game against

Derbyshire Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It borders Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire, and South Yorkshire to the north, Nottinghamshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south-east, Staffordshire to the south a ...

, against whom he made an innings of 139 in 1900. While the opening few years of the 20th century proved a goldmine for Russell, a consistent batsman amongst a number of inconsistent players, he would not reach the dizzy heights of his three century innings in the second half of his career that he did in the first, making a top score in his final five seasons of just 54 and moving, towards the end of his career, back to the tailend of the Essex batting line-up where he spent occasional matches in his early years at the club. Essex finished second-bottom of the County Championship table during the 1904 season. Russell's final season as an Essex player was a benefit season, in which he played one match, a heavy defeat at the hands of

. Russell later joined a growing list of first-class cricketing umpires, taking charge of 150 matches between 1912 and 1925. Russell's extended family of cricket-playing relatives included brother Edward Russell, cousins Tich,

Edward Edward is an English male name. It is derived from the Anglo-Saxon name ''Ēadweard'', composed of the elements '' ēad'' "wealth, fortunate; prosperous" and '' weard'' "guardian, protector”. History The name Edward was very popular in Anglo-S ...

and

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...

, great-nephew Douglas Freeman, son Jack Russell and uncle

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Russell, Thomas 1863 births 1927 deaths English cricketers English cricket umpires Essex cricketers Marylebone Cricket Club cricketers Wembley Park cricketers Cricketers from the London Borough of Lewisham People from Lewisham