Morton Betts

Morton Peto Betts (30 August 1847 – 19 April 1914) 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. Edward was in business with 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.

Sporting life Betts was an amateur 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. By this time, he was with the Old Harrovians Football Club. He later became a referee, helped found the Kent Football Association and was a board member of the Football Association for 20 years. and as a Director of Preston North End Baseball Club in the 1890 National League of Baseball of Great Britain.

Later life He married twice, first to Jane Bouch in 1879 and then to Jane Morgan in 1901.