Morton Peto Betts (30 August 1847 – 19 April 1914)[1] was a leading English sportsman of the late 19th century. He was notable for scoring the first goal in an English FA Cup final.
Early life
Betts was the son of Edward Betts of Preston Hall, Aylesford, a civil engineering contractor, and Ann Betts, née Peto.[2][3] Edward was in business Ann's brother, the railway entrepreneur Samuel Morton Peto, the pair operating as Peto and Betts until the firm was declared bankrupt in 1866. Morton was educated at Harrow School.[4]
Sporting life
Betts was an amateur association footballer and cricketer. His most notable moment came when he scored the only goal in the 1872 FA Cup Final for Wanderers, the first final of the tournament. The goal was a relatively simple "tap-in", coming as a result of Walpole Vidal's successful dribble through the Royal Engineers' defence. In the match, he played under the pseudonym AH Chequer; Betts played for Harrow Chequers, a team associated with the school, who had been drawn to play Wanderers in the first round of the tournament but failed to fulfil the fixture.[2][3]
He married twice, first to Jane Bouch in 1879 and then to Jane Morgan in 1901.[2] He spent his final years living in France, and died aged 66 at Menton, shortly before the outbreak of World War I.[8]
