The following words are wrtten by Adrian's wife, Alex.

Adrian Betts; 12th April 1965- 29th September 2022

Adrian’s time at Tonbridge was largely dominated by sport, at which he excelled. He played cricket for both the 1st XI and 2nd XI, hockey and rugby. He particularly enjoyed playing in the house teams. But amongst his best memories was kicking a football round the grass tennis court at Judde or the Upper Hundred for hours with a large group of mates until it was too dark to see the ball and being repeatedly told to come inside.

The following is an extract from the eulogy given by James Hay (Sc 76-81) at Adrian’s memorial at St George’s, Benenden on 4 November 2022.

On bumping into mutual friends, one of the first things they would say was “ I saw Adrian the other day at…’

Why? Because almost certainly, the beers they shared with Adrian at the cricket, golf, racing or wherever was probably the best part of that day. He had that charm, that sense of fun. It didn’t matter how poorly England were performing, the time spent with Adrian was the highlight of any day out.

He played cricket for many years at Plaxtol Cricket Club. He could, of course, have played to a far higher standard, but enjoyment trumped ambition. With nine centuries and 33 fifties, he is one of Plaxtol’s greatest ever players. He was captain of a team of mixed inabilities, and only took up bowling because he felt he had to.

Adrian not only played a lot of cricket, but watched a lot too, at Lord’s, and also in Australia and the West Indies. Of course, Adrian was careful not to waste a day at the cricket watching cricket all day. He’d leave Lord’s, Adelaide, Barbados or wherever with a bunch of new friends, and that was just on Day One.

He was an exceptional sportsman. Other than cricket, he loved golf and darts. In the early days of his MND he and his partner won the Akers Douglas Foursomes at Rye Golf Club, where he played for many years, and managed to throw a 180 when he got home.

We all have different memories of Adrian, but anyone who spent any time with him will know how much he loved his music. A car journey back from the pub would be spent listening to his favourites, each song being played significantly louder than the one before. And being described as ‘a tremendous piece of music.’

He didn’t only listen, he performed too, Adrian in his youth, was one of the truly great air guitarists. Quo, Vardis, Van Halen, ACDC, he could play them all.

Adrian was both laid back and a doer. He wouldn’t waste energy on things he didn’t think were worthwhile. He managed a work life balance that many of us would envy. But that was not achieved without effort. When work needed doing or a decision needed to be taken, he’d do it. He got things done. This is what gave him the time to balance work with what really mattered.

And what really mattered to Adrian wasn’t only the golf, the cricket, racing and the pub. His family were far more important than all of those. He was a wonderful husband and father.

Motor Neurone Disease is cruel. We knew it would be bad, but the love and support he got from his friends during his last 15 months were a reflection on how much he was loved. In between binge-watching the complete Danny Dyer catalogue, old friends would turn up.

Physically unwell, but mentally as sharp and witty as ever, Adrian enjoyed your company. Of course he did, he loved people.

Adrian died too young. We all have wonderful memories. This lovely, laid back man who underneath it all made sure that the important things in life got his full attention. He wasn’t a dreamer. He was a doer.

It feels like he is still with us. To honour his memory, next time you think you would like to do something, don’t wait for the time to be right and the stars to be aligned, just do it.

That’s what he would want from his friends. To live our lives to the full. With a smile.

(JH 77-81)