Wally Russell was a local man who only ever played for Rainham during a period of more than thirty years between 1928 and 1959 and was extremely successful as a slow left arm spin bowler. In fact, from the evidence available, it appears that up to now he holds the position of highest individual wicket taker in the history of the club. Although the exact number of wickets he took is unknown he took 100 wickets almost every season from 1938 until 1959 and was very highly regarded in the area as a bowler.

Until the mid 1930s he only made modest contributions with the bat and ball but from 1937 he began to make a very big impact as he matured. His most successful early performance being against RN Writers against whom he took 5-14 when they were bowled out for 44 chasing a Rainham total of 48.

He took 100 wickets for the first time in 1938 with several memorable performances. These included 7-31 and 6-19 against Milton, 7-15 against the William Lawrence XI, 7-24 against New Entries Instructors, 6-10 against the RN Supply Branch and 5-10 against Tunstall. His batting ability was also demonstrated during the same season with scores of 54 against the William Lawrence XI, 44 against Milton and 30 against the RN Supply Branch.

Wally Russell was a big, well built man who was always cheerful but on the field of play he was very competitive and would regularly talk to the batsman as a psychological ploy. However, at the same time he was an honest person and did not resort to cheating. Everything was done in good nature and within the rules of the game.

As a bowler his secret was that he was deadly accurate with varied pace and because he was a left arm spinner the batsmen found him difficult to play. This was his main strength and probably the main reason why he took so many wickets. His most devastating performances were against Gillingham Unity in 1941 when he took 9-41 and against Milton in 1946 when he took 9-25 to send the Sittingbourne side back for 54. His best all round display was against Halfway in 1951 when he took 6-49 and scored 52 runs. He was recognized for his performances in 1952 when he was selected to play for the South of Medway against the North of Medway along with teammates John Richardson, Doug Lacey and Jack Temple. He also played against Rainham in 1957 for the Doug Wright Kent County XI at Berengrove Park to mark the centenary of the club. In this match he scored 32 not out then took 3-4 against his regular teammates.

Wally Russell lived in Bloors Lane for much of his life and worked for E.W. Ballard, the builders as a Clerk of Works where he remained for most of his working life. However, he did serve in the RAF during the Second World War.

After retiring as a player in 1959 Wally Russell kept in contact with the club as a regular vice president until his death in the 1990s. Nobody approaches his total of wickets taken during his career with Rainham and he must rank as one of the club's greatest ever bowlers.

David Wood 2004