Andy Murtagh

Andy Murtagh was a right-handed batsman who bowled right-arm medium pace. While reading English at Southampton University, he was spotted by Hampshire, making his first-class debut for the county against Gloucestershire in 1973. That same season he made his one-day debut against local rivals Sussex. After the end of the 1973 County Championship Murtagh played for Eastern Province in South Africa, representing them in a single first-class match against Natal.

Murtagh represented Hampshire until 1977, his final first-class match against Gloucestershire and his final one-day match against the same opposition at the United Services Recreation Ground in Portsmouth. He was more at home in the one-day form of the game. In his 48 one-day matches for Hampshire he took 23 wickets at an average of 19.73 with best figures of 5 for 33 against Yorkshire in 1977.[1] He batted mostly in the lower-middle order, with one first-class fifty and one one-day fifty to his name: both scores of 65, which helped Hampshire to victories.[2][3]

After he retired from professional cricket, Murtagh became an English teacher and cricket master at Malvern College. He stayed there for 30 years.[4]

Since his retirement from teaching, writing as Andrew Murtagh, he has written several biographies of cricketers:

• A Remarkable Man: The Story of George Chesterton (2012)
• Touched by Greatness: The Story of Tom Graveney, England's Much Loved Cricketer (2014)
• Sundial in the Shade: The Story of Barry Richards, the Genius Lost to Test Cricket (2015)
• Test of Character: The Story of John Holder, Fast Bowler and Test Match Umpire (2016)
• Gentleman and Player: The Story of Colin Cowdrey, Cricket's Most Elegant and Charming Batsman (2017)
• If Not Me, Who? The Story of Tony Greig, the Reluctant Rebel (2020)

His nephews, Tim and Chris Murtagh, have played first-class and List-A cricket – Tim for Surrey, Middlesex and Ireland, Chris for Surrey.

• Andy Murtagh at ESPNcricinfo