[4] Ebeling was educated at Caulfield Grammar School from 1919 to 1922,[5] where he played cricket in the school's First XI, football (in the ruck, and at centre half-forward) in its First XVIII, and as a miler in its athletic team.

[8] The association of parents who support school cricket at Caulfield Grammar is named after him.

He captained Victoria to two Sheffield Shield championships in four years (1934 and 1938), captained the Melbourne Cricket Club (MCC) to four premierships, and played in his sole Test match against England in 1934.

A Squadron-Leader in World War II, he served as a member of the board of the MCC—a body which oversees not only the club's sporting teams but also the operations of the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG)—for 45 years and was serving his first year as MCC President when he died.

During this time, he helped to organise the 1977 Centenary Test between England and Australia at the MCG.