Australasian players are still rare in The Grades.

When the Aberdeenshire Cricket Association was first formed (1884) the ethnicity of Aberdeenshire was very different to the multi-cultural societies that are now commonplace throughout the region. Today, many of the different ethnic and indigenous groups participate in Grades cricket and although the largest percentage of those are Scottish, the majority are of a non-indigenous ethnic background.

Due, for the most part, on the increasing influx of foreign labour attracted by the prosperity created by the North Sea oil boom (1969-present), this diversity is in contrast to the ethnicity of Grades cricket, pre-oil boom, when the sport was played, almost exclusively, by the local indigenous populations. The only other ethnic group likely to participate, were the English, the Irish and, to a lesser degree, the Welsh (most Welsh males being forced down coalmines). The region, even then, boasted large Polish, Italian and Greek communities but their recreational interests were largely confined to football.

Comparison analysis of ethnic distribution within The Grades pre- and post-oil boom (1969-present)

As the graph above demonstrates, the Asian influence on The Grades is on the rise and may be crucial to it's survival. Significantly, the level of English involvement has remained largely unchanged over the years whilst South African and Australasian levels are, worryingly, creeping up.

Ethnicity within The Grades (in historical context)

1884-1934

Most clubs consisted of Scottish players. Aberdeen city based clubs included players from outlying towns and villages and an occasional European transient or former prisoner of war. Rural clubs were more insular, confining themselves to villagers or townsfolk only, although former prisoners of war (and now resident) appeared on an inconsistent basis. This insularity created an intense inter-community rivalry that remains today.

A few clubs, exceptionally, were composed of different ethnic groups. St. Ronald (from St. Ragnvald - a Norwegian saint) were mostly of Viking descent, as indicated by the names of players like Erik the Unable, Leif the Bottle and Bob the Obese. Stonehaven Thistle were mainly local but featured English twins, Cyril and Julian Hatchclough although their availability was restricted by frequent spells of incarceration in the local jail, for impregnation of local wenches.

1935-1969

Prisoners of war (WWII), refugees from Europe, and Armed Forces volunteers, from Canada and Australasia, began to appear on team sheets up and down the region. Most sides were still predominantly composed of locals. Stonehaven Thistle (by 1969) were half Scottish, half English. Banchory, since the acquisition of the Hatchclough twins from Stonehaven, increasingly saw their Scottish to English ratio reduced, due to lax contraception.

1970-present

The discovery of North Sea oil saw an ever-increasing ethnic diversity spreading across the region. The initial wave of Americans had little effect on Grades cricket although there were many failed attempts to instigate Softball and Baseball leagues. The new found prosperity, however, brought with it new businesses including many Chinese and Indian restaurants. The Chinese communities found recreational outlet in the many new gambling establishments, but the immigrant populations, from the sub-continent, preferred cricket, and their greater abilities have dramatically increased the standards across the region. South African and Australasian players are an expanding force and their greater experience, of the verbal disciplines, has already had an influence on the development of the game.