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CHRIS and Tom Sole are following in the footsteps of their father David, who led Scotland’s rugby union team to the country’s most famous victory.

The 1990 Grand Slam rugby union decider lives on as perhaps Scotland’s proudest sporting moment.

Up against an England side who were red-hot favourites, Murrayfield’s tartan army ramped up the decibels — commentator Bill McLaren said he’d “never heard such an emotional rendition of ‘Flower of Scotland’” as was sung before the game.

David Sole captained Scotland that day and his sons Chris and Tom, who are representing their country at the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifiers here, are now flying their national flag.

“I played a bit of cricket when I was at school,” recalls David, who won 44 Scottish caps and three for the British and Irish Lions.

“But because rugby was very much my first love, in the summers I tended to try and do work at university and catch up on the two terms when I’d been playing rugby, so I didn’t play that much cricket.

“Cricket actually comes from my wife’s side of the family, her brother was a very good cricketer, he was on the books at Gloucester before he saw the light and got a proper job!”

Chris and Tom both recognise how important the support of their parents has been.

“Our mum’s now the kit expert,” says Chris. “She never thought she’d end up knowing everything about a cricket bat.

She’s always supported us a lot. Our dad as well, he’s played quite a bit of cricket and we’ve even managed to play with him a couple of times.”

“Dad always pushed us to try any sport once,” adds Tom. “He’d say, ‘Play it once, and if you enjoy it carry on’.”

David recognises a closely-knit family unit. “We’ve got a family WhatsApp group so we’re always updating the scores if Jamie’s got a rugby match so that everyone in the family sees what the scores are, whether the boys are in Barbados or Zimbabwe or Dubai. They are always interested to see how everyone else is getting on.”

Scotland beat Zimbabwe by 26 runs at home at the Grange, and while Tom didn’t play, Chris performed a key role as Scotland’s most economical bowler.

As the two have risen through the ranks, so Scotland have emerged as one of the coming forces of international cricket, and improved recent results have led to an increase in fixtures against top level opposition.

This summer Scotland will take on Pakistan and England at the Grange in Edinburgh.

“My wife and I are keeping all our digits firmly crossed that they might actually be playing together, which would just be an amazing experience for them and an amazing experience for us as well,” says David.

The national team’s success has seen a rise in participation at all levels, with both Chris and Tom also noticing an increase in support.

“There’s a lot more exposure now to young people, even in state schools in Edinburgh and Glasgow in particular,” says Tom.

“Chris went up to Callander CC, he did a Q&A just before Christmas, and they are now his biggest fans.

‘’It just shows that the popularity of the sport is growing outside the main Scotland set-up. The talent coming through the Scotland ranks is getting better, and the coaching is getting better. It is on the way up.”

Chris concurs: “The fans are always sending messages on Twitter. You’ll come back into the hotel and flick your phone on and there will be 30 messages to read. They follow you quite personally as well which gives you a really good connection with the rest of the fans. We’re very lucky to have such a good fanbase.”

Scotland have been spurred on by that support in the CWCQ, beating pre-tournament favourites Afghanistan, and tying with hosts Zimbabwe in dramatic fashion on their way to qualifying for the Super Sixes.

Yesterday they scored 322/6 to beat the United Arab Emirates by 73 runs in Bulawayo to rocket

“The thing I always stress is that all the kids have made their own choices, and I think my wife and I have tried to support them as best we can, whether that’s cheering on the sidelines or from a resources perspective,” says David.

“They’ve always made their own choices and it’s great to see them finding their own way. I always say if you gave me the choice between playing for Scotland and winning the Grand Slam or watching my kids play sport, I’d always want to watch my kids.” — ICC.