2024 Winners
MCC Baseball Section stalwart, Malcolm Chiverton, and MCC Real Tennis Chair, Andrew Gould, received the ultimate recognition in becoming the newest recipients of the Award that honours those who have given outstanding service to the Club’s sporting sections, on a night that captured the talent, culture and cohesion that exists among the Club’s 14 sporting sections.
Hans Ebeling Award Past Winners
Past Winners (2000-1981)
2000 - Bob Crawford, Lacrosse
1999 - Bill Stahmer, Lacrosse
1998 - Barry Brennan, Tennis
1997 - Ian Woodham, Bowls
1995 - Eric Beissel, Squash
1995 - Ian Ridley, Melbourne Football Club
1994 - Graeme Howarth, Cricket & Baseball
1993 - John Cavanagh, Baseball & Cricket
1992 - Donald Cordner, Melbourne Football Club, Tennis, Squash & Sporting Sections Sub-Committee Chairman
1990 - Jack Francis, Bowls & Baseball
1988 - Jim Butchart, Shooting
1987 - John Fraser, Tennis & Cricket
1986 - Ian McDonald, Cricket & Hockey
1986 - Clive Fairbairn, Cricket
1984 - Peter Mitchell, Tennis & Squash
1983 - Ian Huntington, Cricket, Baseball, Tennis & Hockey
1982 - Allan Bamford, Lacrosse & Bowls
1981 - Bill Gray, Lacrosse
1981 - Jack Armstrong, Shooting
About Hans Ebeling (1905-1980)
As a promising 16-year-old cricketer at Caulfield Grammar School, Hans Ebeling was awarded an "Exhibitioner's Ticket" (two years' honorary membership of the MCC) in 1921 to commence a 59-year association with the Club as player and honorary administrator/official.
Hans was an upright man - physically and ethically - and few people in our long history have matched his zeal and loyalty to the MCC on and off the field. When elected to the presidency, he had been a committeeman for 45 years (1934-79), including 24 years as a vice-president.
Tragically, Hans died aged 75 within his first year of office as MCC president. However, Honorary Life member (1959) Ebeling had long since left his imprint on Club activities as a fine cricketer at club and first class levels, chairman of the MCC Bowls Section (1963-75) and a dominant figure in the conception and staging of the Centenary Test on the MCG in March 1977.
In retirement from a vocation which often had denied him the necessary time to fully develop his cricketing talent, Hans devoted his leisure hours exclusively to Club matters.
He introduced the MCC's volunteer guides (1977), supervised the expansion of the pictorial collection and produced an authoritative research document on the pre-history and subsequent formation of the Victorian Cricket Association.
The career highlight of fast-medium bowler and lower order batsman Ebeling was his selection for the 1934 Ashes-winning Australian tour to England.
He performed creditably in his only Test, the fifth and deciding Test at The Oval, claiming the great Walter Hammond as the first of his three wickets and scoring a valuable 41 batting at number ten in Australia's second innings. For Victoria (1923-38) he captured 117 wickets at 31.17 with best figures 7 for 33 (inc. hat trick) against Queensland in 1928-29.
A firm tactician and strong disciplinarian, Hans led Victoria (1934-38) to two Sheffield Shield wins in four seasons and as skipper (1932-39) guided MCC to five VCA premierships. He won the Club's bowling average seven times, enjoying his best season in 1932-33 with 62 wickets at 12.01.
