[1] Five years later, he made his first eleven debut in a first-class match against Gloucestershire at Bristol in the 1973 County Championship, with Murtagh making six appearances in Hampshire's Championship-winning season.
[2] In the same season, he also made his debut in List A one-day cricket in the John Player League against Sussex at Portsmouth.
[2][3] In first-class cricket, he was utilised as a lower middle order batsman, scoring 631 runs at an average of 15.39.
[9] Following his release by Hampshire, he became an English teacher and cricket master at Malvern College, where he stayed until his retirement in 2000.
[1] Following his retirement, Murtagh has written a number of biographies on cricketers, including his former Hampshire teammates John Holder and Barry Richards.