Biography
Born: 17 January 1932
Died: 30 December 2018
Grave Location: Sunset Gardens, Row 5, Grave 052
Achievements
No part of the Mt Clear Cricket Club was left untouched by Allan Spratling over a 44-year stint as president of the club.
His cricketing career began at the age of 15 at Blakeville Cricket Club near Ballan, and within three years he had been the club’s captain, treasurer, secretary and president.
After moving nearer to Ballarat he joined Ross Creek Cricket Club, with whom he was president for four years, then involved himself in Mt Clear Cricket Club when Ross Creek merged into it in 1958.
Spratling became president at Mt Clear in 1960 and held the position until 2004. His range of contributions to the club included establishing junior teams and many fundraising efforts. He also served 22 years on the committee of the Ballarat Cricket Association, and became manager of the Ballarat country week team in 2000.
Spratling’s honours included life membership at Mt Clear and the BCA, induction into the BCA Hall of Fame, “Legend” status by the BCA, and the Cricket Victoria service medal.
Did you Know?
Allan “Ally” Spratling (17 January 1932 – 30 December 2018) was a member of the Mt Clear Cricket Club and Ballarat Cricket Association halls of fame.
He spent 44 years as Mount Clear president. He was also a BCA and Mt Clear life member, was among the first inductees into the BCA hall of fame in 2016 and recipient of the Cricket Victoria service medal. He was also key player in fundraising, including bingo.
Allan died aged 86, and was buried in the peaceful Sunset Gardens location, which is lined with garden beds filled with colourful flowering shrubs and trees, and positioned to receive the last rays of the sunset each day. His wife Noelle Gertrude (Severino) Spratling joined him at this location in March 2025.
His memorial is a bronze open book design plaque mounted on a concrete beam. The plaque is coloured blue and adorned with the Carlton Football Club logo. The facing page is currently blank, and there are built in flower vases on either side of the plaque.
