It is with great sadness that we share the news that Willie Donald passed away in the early hours of Monday 14th November at home in Edinburgh at the age of 69. Our deepest condolences go out to Esther his wife of 43 years, his children Suzanne and Alasdair, his 3 grandsons Aaron, Logan and Leo and his brother and sister Richard and Elaine.

Willie was born in Huntly and educated at the local Gordon School. Willie played his first senior cricket for Huntly 2nd XI as a 14 year old in 1969. From here Willie joined Aberdeenshire regularly travelling by bus and train from Huntly to attend coaching sessions at Mannofield.

Willie attended Aberdeen University obtaining a degree in mathematics in addition to representing the University in Cricket and Football gaining full blues for both. He also represented both the Scottish and British Universities at football. Willie went on to play semi-professional football in the Highland League for Huntly, Fraserburgh and Peterhead scoring over 100 goals.

Willie was part of the Aberdeenshire team who won the Scottish Counties Championship in 1975, the first time since 1949. This Championship provided the impetus for the modernisation and development of the Club as it is today. Willie was an integral part of this team that again won the Counties Championship in 1977, 79, 80. He was appointed Club Captain in 1981 and led the team to two further Championships in 1982 and 83. During this period Aberdeenshire were also winners of the Scottish section of the National Club Cricket Championship in 1981 and 82, known at the time as the John Haig Trophy, reaching the quarter finals and losing to Scarborough the eventual winners on both occasions.

During his time at Aberdeenshire Willie made his debut for Scotland in first class cricket against Ireland in 1978 playing both first class and list A matches until 1987. He played in Scotland’s first ever Benson and Hedges Cup team against Leicestershire in 1980 and also featured in Scotland’s first B&H cup victory against Lancashire at the North Inch Perth in 1986. In addition to the eight first class matches v Ireland Willie also made 32 List A appearances in the Benson & Hedges Cup and the NatWest Trophy scoring two half centuries .

Willie’s career took him to London after a 12 year playing career at Aberdeenshire where he became part of a very strong Teddington CC team achieving further cricket success and culminating in winning the National Club Cricket Championship in 1991 that had been so narrowly missed against Scarborough 9 years earlier.

Willie’s business career in Banking started in 1978 when he joined Citibank in Aberdeen after a 2 year spell teaching Mathematics at Aboyne Academy. He moved to London in 1983 becoming director of mortgages before his move back to Edinburgh in 1994 as head of European Operations where he was responsible for building and launching the world’s first fully online mortgage operation.

He was appointed interim chief executive of Cricket Scotland in 2015 and later appointed president in 2018 for a 2 year term . In 2019 he was appointed President of Aberdeenshire where he created a vision for taking the club through to 2030 focusing on a number of areas. He put an enormous amount of time and energy into the club despite his illness which eventually forced his resignation in October this year.

Dale deNeef