SOLE SISTER (and brothers)

With dad David a national hero, it’s hardly surprising Gemma and her siblings are keen to make waves on the field (and court)

SITTING quietly at the back of the commentary box, Gemma Sole would watch and listen intently as her f ather cast his expert eye over the drama unfolding on the field of play.

Too young to have borne witness to 1990 Calcutta Cup legend David leading Scotland to unexpected heights in his prime, accompanying her dad on trips to club games around the country was nevertheless still regarded as a much sought-after treat by her and her three brothers.

Enthralled by what she saw, it is perhaps no surprise that Gemma will now find herself in the thick of the sporting action later this month, when the Commonwealth Games arrive and all eyes turn to Glasgow.

As part of the Team Scotland netball squad, the 23-year-old will be going headto-head with some of the world’s best in a competition that stretches over 11 days. Simply by turning up, they will be making history as the first netball team from these shores to compete at a Commonwealths — but do not think that is the extent of their ambition.

Given her father’s pedigree, it would be easy to say that his daughter’s sporting achievements are down to some sort of genetic ‘legacy’. Such thoughts are a fallacy, however.

While what David accomplished would no doubt inspire, it would be a great disservice to Gemma to simply write off her own hard work and devotion as simple birthright. However, what cannot be disregarded is the environment in which she grew up. In fact, there’s ample evidence that, in terms of raising talented athletes, David and his wife Jane pretty much had it down to a fine art.

Their eldest son, Jamie, played a season of professional rugby with Newcastle Falcons before recently moving to Edinburgh Accies. At 25, the full-back i s now making an i mpact i n the Premiership with Scotland’s oldest club.

Younger brothers Chris (20) and Tom (18) have both already chalked up appearances for the Scotland Under-19 cricket side, with the former playing in the World Cup in Dubai earlier this year and now part of the Scottish Development squad.

Gemma now shares a flat with Jamie, not far from their parental home in Edinburgh — and their sporting and family bond is one that has driven them all onwards and upwards in their careers. Even if Gemma had to occasionally take drastic action to stay ahead of her brothers in their youth.

‘There was definitely a lot of competition growing up,’ she recalled, having just returned from Scotland international duty in South Africa at the end of June.

‘In fact, I remember the day I decided I wasn’t going to do running races with my younger brothers any more because I was worried they might be fast enough to compete.

‘And I remember going down to the driving range after they had a couple of golf lessons and realising they could hit the ball further than me.

‘So I started picking the ball up and throwing it because I knew I could throw it quite far.

‘There were a lot of little things like that growing up — yeah, we were highly competitive as children. We still are now but we can control our competitive nature a bit more and have fun with sport when we are playing around together in the back garden.

‘That competition is something that has definitely helped our sporting careers — but it has never put any of us off. It’s always been fun and games.’

A f ormer pupil at Glenalmond College in Perthshire, her father’s old school, Gemma tested out a few sports while growing up, including hockey, skiing and, of course, netball. However, it wasn’t until she was much older that she discovered the extent of her dad’s own sporting career.

Despite amassing 44 caps for his country — including 25 as captain — and being selected as the first-choice loosehead prop f or t he Lions’ victorious tour to Australia in 1989, David wasn’t one for self-aggrandising. Therefore, it took some time for Gemma to realise the scale of what her father had done.

‘My dad had retired from international rugby by the time I was old enough to be aware of the sport itself,’ she admitted. ‘But I always knew he was heavily involved in rugby.

‘He used to do some commentary and, for the club fixtures, he used to take us along. So we used to go and sit quietly in the commentary box, watching him talking about the game. That aspect of it was always really exciting

I was never aware of dad as a sporting role model

when we were growing up. I always used to hope that I would be well behaved enough to go along with him. It was something we really enjoyed.

‘In terms of his presence as a sporting role model, I was never really aware of it growing up.

‘It was only when people who would come up and recognise him in the street — I would be asking who they were and why they were coming over to speak to him, without really understanding. He would say that they just like rugby.

‘It was only really gradually that I began to understand that he impacted a lot of people with his sporting achievements. He was never one to brag about it or take any opportunity to talk about rugby. It was only when you prompted him did he come out with interesting stories or little nuggets that we had never heard before.

‘ He’s very modest about his achievements — which makes you want to learn about them even more. I found out quite a lot when I started reading his book actually!’

In terms of David’s achievements, he will perhaps always be defined by that game against England in 1990.

When the famous slow walk out to the pitch then led to such marvellous scenes of triumph — and Scotland’s last Grand Slam was won.

It’s something that Gemma has watched since, with some gentle teasing of her dad thrown in along with a huge measure of respect and admiration.

‘I’ve seen the match on YouTube,’ she said. ‘We do occasionally like to sit down and have a laugh at the match in terms of how much the game has evolved.

‘Things like the lineouts, where they are all jumping about for the ball rather than doing the lifts. There’s little changes as the game has evolved that are funny to look back on as a family and have a laugh about.

‘We wouldn’t take anything away from the size of dad’s achievement but I do think it’s something we take for granted, as it’s not something he brags about.

‘It’s something that, whenever someone mentions it, it makes me very proud. And when someone says to me: “You’re not related to David Sole?” I’m very proud to say: “Yes, that’s my dad”.’

One can only assume that both David and Jane feel the same way about their children. Having made her international debut back in 2010, Gemma will compete in the biggest sporting event Scotland has ever known.

As her dad could no doubt testify, Scots are known for upsetting the odds — especially on their own turf. In that regard, the progress the Scottish Thistles have made over the past 18 months is encouraging.

The Thistles, who recently moved up to 11th in the world, will play St Lucia (18th) and Northern Ireland (12th), plus defending champions New Zealand, Jamaica and Malawi (who are all ranked above them) at

the Games this summer. It’s a tough group but Gail Parata’s side have grabbed three victories this year over sides above them in the rankings.

Their recent tour to South Africa failed to add to that count — but the three matches against top- quality opposition will have stood them in good stead for what is to come.

‘It was a real test in South Africa of where we are at just 30 days or so out from the Games,’ said Gemma, who can play goal-shooter or goal-keeper.

‘We were heavily beaten in the first game and I think we were right to be disappointed because the scoreline and our performance weren’t reflective of the team that we are.

‘We were very competitive throughout the next two matches and, although we didn’t get the results we were after, we still learned a lot from the experience. It was great preparation for the Games.

‘There have been ups and downs over the last year or so. I was out of action for nine months after injuring my anterior cruciate ligament.

‘I was wondering if I was going to make it back in time for the Games. There was definitely a lot of challenges for everyone.’

Another prospective challenge for Gemma and her sport is gaining the recognition they deserve. Strides have been made of late, with Sky Sports now showing the Netball Super League from England and also the best of the action from New Zealand and Australia. The BBC have al s o made a documentary of the Thistles’ journey to the Games, which is sure to be an eye-opener — and not just because of Gemma’s ‘dodgy’ dancing.

It’s a sport on the up — but it is still railing against anachronistic

Our aim is to become the No 1 sport for Scots women

preconceptions. Glasgow 2014 can also certainly help the cause, then.

‘We don’t have the same platform to work off as sports such as hockey and football where there is a male equivalent,’ said Gemma. ‘In Scotland, netball is at the moment an all-girls sport. So we are trying to build a profile for women as well as for the sport in terms of coverage, media attention, etc.

‘Our aim is to become the No 1 sport in Scotland for women and we are well on our way to doing that.

‘Scotland have been performing really well over the last 18 months. We have been making cause for a lot of chat around the sport, which is fantastic.

‘There is always going to be the challenge of the stereotype that we are working hard to break at the moment that netball is a sport that you play at primary school and it has remained that way.

‘But actually, when you go to watch a game of netball now, people don’t appreciate how much the game has evolved as it’s played at an elite level. The speed and athletic ability of netballers — and the physicality of what is believed to be a non-contact sport — surprises people.

‘The Games are an opportunity to showcase the sport and show the world what the Scottish Thistles can do.’

And when Gemma takes the court, her family will all be there to back her. No doubt with her dad providing some big-match analysis.

‘My family have tickets for every game,’ she said. ‘My mum went a bit crazy on the online booking and she has actually invited about half our family to come.

‘They are a noisy bunch — so I look forward to hearing the racket.’

Game, Net and Match, Sunday, July 6, BBC Two Scotland, 9pm.