Murray has some adding up to do after claiming British title

Nigel Murray shows off the his tenth British Championship trophy with partner Sylvia.

And, despite being unsure as to how many British championships he had won, the victory was no less sweet for the Whitnash athlete.

“It sounds a bit blase but you lose count,” said Murray. “I actually had to count them up on the trophy and it was my tenth.

“But it was good to win it.

“I haven’t won it for a couple of years - I was beaten in the final last year - and it was nice to get it back.”

Murray had spoken of retiring from the sport following on from the London Paralympics.

However, a spot of arm-twisting from the Great Britain hierarchy persuaded him to remain within the set-up to help bring through emerging talent.

The fruits of his labour have already been seen, with Murray guiding an inexperienced team to gold at the European Championships last month and the 49-year-old is revelling in his role as a wise old head.

“I’m working with the Talent ID programme as a mentor,” he said. “We have separate training weekends in Bath and Sheffield and two of the athletes - Martin Davis and Emma Goodchild - were selected to go to the European Championships in Portugal where we got team gold.

“I appreciate you need experienced players to bring on the newcomers.

“I have handed over the captaincy to David Smith who is going to be going to Rio and from my point of view I’m just keeping ticking over, working through to the Worlds next year and getting my coaching qualifications.”

While the competitive spirit burns fiercely within him - he was still disappointed not to have guided Great Britain B to victory over their A counterparts in the International Championship final - Murray admits the financial pressures associated with the sport may force him to call time on his glittering career.

Funding was cut following the 2012 Paralympics and while Murray receives an Athlete Personal Award (APA), he says costs associated with competing at an elite level such as travel expenses, the hiring of practice spaces and physios soon mount up.

“It’s very difficult, funding is always an issue.

“It’s difficult to manage and it might make me decide whether I need to get a job.

“It is a big decision I’ll need to weigh up in the next few months.”