Jack Russell: from England wicketkeeper to full-time artist — how he turned sport into a second career

# Who is Jack Russell

# How art became his second career

# Money and earnings during his playing days

Russell's early contract pay was modest: at 18 he signed for Gloucestershire at £2,000 a season. In the late 1980s his seasonal earnings included about £16,000 for county play, £5,000 for an England winter tour, plus a £24,000 deal with Kookaburra to use their bats. By the time he finished playing he estimated his annual income around £100,000.

# Major financial wins and losses

• Successful flips: In the 1990s Russell bought two Second World War Distinguished Conduct Medals for £2,000 each and sold them roughly a decade later for £45,000 each. In April of the reported year he sold a collection of 135 military medals for £74,000.

• Property flip: He purchased an old coaching inn on Chipping Sodbury high street in 1994 for £90,000 using the ten-year player benefit payment. He recently sold that property for just under £1 million.

• Personal loss with sentimental value: He bought a 1969 Leyland tipper lorry about ten years ago for £10,000 and sold it for £5,000. Russell views the sale as the right personal decision despite the financial loss.

# Current assets and plans

Russell owns his home mortgage-free: a characterful six-bedroom detached house with some land in Dumfries and Galloway. He has a cricketers' pension but continues to work as an artist and has no plans to stop. He intends to pass everything to his five children, including his artworks, before inheritance tax becomes an issue.

# Small personal details that shape the story

His first job was a Christmas milk round. He says his parents taught him money was precious because the family had limited means. Russell also recounts a lighthearted anecdote about blindfolding guests to keep his home's location secret.

# Why this matters

# Concrete takeaways for readers

• Start a parallel plan early if you rely on a finite athletic career. Russell opened a gallery while still playing.
• Collectibles and well-timed property purchases can produce outsized returns, but sentimental purchases can also lose money.
• Continuing to work after a primary career can be both financially and personally sustaining.