Career
He also played cricket for Lincolnshire. After retiring from the game he went into business in Hertfordshire. Born in Grimsby, Betmead was playing for local side Hay Cross when he was signed for Grimsby Town by Wilf Gillow in October 1930 aged 18 years old.
He made his debut almost a year later on 15 September 1931 against Bolton Wanderers.
He quickly established himself as one of the first names on the "Mariners" team sheet, and remained at the club for the whole of his career, despite considerable interest from bigger cubs. Grimsby suffered relegation out of the First Division in 1931-1932, before finishing 13th in the Second Division in 1932-1933.
Town finished fifth in 1934-1935. They dropped to 17th place in 1935-1936, though reached the semi-finals of the, where they were beaten 1–0 by Arsenal.
The Blundell Park outfit then posted 12th, 20th, and 10th-place finishes in 1936-1937, 1937-1938, and 1938-1939.
They also reached the semi-finals of the again in 1939, this time losing out 5–0 to Wolverhampton Wanderers at Old Trafford. During the war he became a physical training instructor in the army, also guesting for Heart of Midlothian, Aldershot, Chesterfield and Portuguese Vale. He also managed to play 40 games and score five goals for Grimsby in the war years.
After normal football resumed, Betmead helped the club to post a 16th-place finish in the top-flight in 1946-1947.
He retired in December 1947. He had scored ten goals in 296 league appearances for the club
Betmead toured South Africa with an English FA side in 1939 and was captain in two of the unofficial internationals against the full South Africa team