Allen was best known for his cricketing achievements but over a long sporting career was also a representative tennis player and lawn bowler, and an A-Grade golfer.

He was born in Branxton but as a boy his family moved to East Maitland where he played cricket for the Eastern Suburbs club along with his younger brother Ron.

He was a regular in the representative Maitland John Bull Shield side over many years, topped the district run scoring a number of times, and played for Combined Country against City.

He scored 20 first grade centuries for Easts and a few years back was named captain of the Easts team of the century. His brother Ron and son Rick were also named in that side.

For more than 40 years he and Rick shared the highest post-war partnership in Maitland cricket - an unbeaten 266 set in 1974-75 against GUOOF at East Maitland Park. That record was broken two years ago by another cricketing family - City United's Trappel brothers, Matt and Josh.

"It wasn't just that dad loved sport, but it was the spirit in which he played his sport," his daughter Cathy said.

"He played first grade cricket well into his 40s and I don't think he would ever have questioned an umpire's decision in all that time.

"He would compete hard, but sportsmanship was always really important to him. He drummed it into us kids too."

After cricket he played golf for many years before switching to lawn bowls with East Maitland Bowling Club, again with Ron with whom he had a close relationship.

"He really loved his bowls, and always said he wished he'd taken it up years earlier than he did," she said. "Mum played bowls too. They loved the game and the people they met through bowls."

Ray and Ron's natural sporting prowess shone through and they were soon regular A-Grade pennant players for East Maitland and also members of the Hunter District representative side.

In his early days Allen would play tennis in the winter, and was a Maitland representative player in the prestigious Country Week tournament at White City.

It was at tennis that he met his wife of nearly 70 years, Peg, who passed away last year.

Allen was a life member of East Maitland Bowling Club, Hunter District Bowling Association, and Eastern Suburbs Cricket Club.

He was also a proud mason for most of his life, a long-time member of the congregation at St Peter's Church, East Maitland, and worked at Bradmill for many years where he was plant engineer.

He is survived by his daughter Cathy and son Rick, grandchildren Jono and Stefanie, and great granddaughters Alice and Scarlett.

The funeral will be at St Peter's, East Maitland at 11am on Thursday March 25.