With a seemingly never-ending list of accomplishments in lawn bowls, including a Commonwealth Games bronze medal, Matt Flapper was awarded Bowls Victoria life membership. Justin Flynn talks to the current Ocean Grove and Victorian Under 18s coach about his journey.
An obscure school-bus stop in a small town just north of Ballarat was all Matt Flapper needed to become one of Victoria’s best ever lawn bowlers.
The stop, right outside Creswick Bowling Club, was convenient for a then 12-year-old and older brother by two years, Anthony.
They would hit the rinks with their father and soon it began a love affair with lawn bowls, but would also end up catapulting him to national honours.
“I played all the other sports,” he says.
“Played soccer for a number of years, bit of tennis, bit of golf, but something sort of pulled us back towards bowls.
“I probably played indoor bias bowls first and then transgressed into outdoor bowls and had those rivalry battles as a junior with my brother. He represented Victoria as well. I followed in his footsteps, I suppose you’d say.”
At 18, stints at Flemington and Darebin City provided greater opportunity at a higher level before heading back to Ballarat as greenkeeper at Central Wendouree for “seven or eight years”.
The lure of Metro Pennant bowls proved too great for Flapper, who then joined Essendon for about five years before landing the job as coach at Ocean Grove in 2012, where he has been ever since.
It’s fair to say Ocean Grove bats above its weight when it comes to trophies and accolades.
Flapper has overseen multiple premierships, state titles and State Pennant Champions earlier this year.
A lead-in tournament for the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games against Malaysia in Ocean Grove led to the team trying to replicate the conditions in Scotland’s most-populous city. At this stage, Flapper was on the fringes of the national team and earned his first official cap.
“We’ve doctored our greens to replicate what we’d get in Glasgow – slow – wet and slow,” Flapper says.
However, Flapper was still unsure of whether he’d even be on the plane to Glasgow.
He remembers a call from then national coach and legendary player Steve Glasson popping up on his phone.
“I just looked at it and thought ‘I don’t want to answer it’,” he says.
“I answered and he says ‘you probably already knew this, I’m not sure there was much doubt, but you’ve been selected’.
“It was just obviously a reward for a lot of hard work that went into trying to obviously get to that stage.”
Hard work had paid off. Flapper shed a staggering 63kg from his previously 155kg frame a few years earlier and was in the best shape he could be in to represent his country.
Australia cruised through the preliminary stages unbeaten and then defeated Wales in the quarter-finals before losing the semi-final against the host nation.
It put the team into a bronze medal playoff against India.
“Typical Glasgow conditions,” Flapper says.
“Freezing cold and pouring down rain and we just kept playing. There’s pools of water. But we trained for it. We’d drop a bowl in a bucket of water, just pick it up and bowl the bowl just to try and replicate what it would be like.
“We were getting beaten. We’re six to 13 down and end up winning 15-13.”
Flapper skipped the men’s triples as well, but the team just missed out on a medal play-off game.
The bronze medal takes pride of place at home.
“It hangs proudly at home and you know, it’s a talking point for whoever walks in the door,” he says.
“The memories are forever. From someone that probably never thought that that opportunity was going to come to the work that was put in, you know, getting to that stage, it’s every Australian athlete’s dream isn’t it?”
Flapper has represented Victoria more than 400 times and is still going. His tally of 420 games is the second highest in state history.
“There’s only two players in Victoria that have ever played that many games,” he says.
“And I think there’s only three in Australia that have ever played over 400. So at 45 years old, I suppose it’s pretty remarkable.
“I think while I feel like I’m good enough to be there, I’ll keep playing. I probably won’t need the tap on the shoulder. I’ll know.”
He says Ocean Grove’s State Pennants are as special to him as any other accolade.
“It’s a pretty special feeling and for me I rate that as high as I rate playing for Australia,” he says.
“At club level, it doesn’t get any better.”
But what makes Ocean Grove so special that it bats above its weight?
“I think it’s culture and I think it’s something that’s developed and I’m not going say I’m responsible for that, but I’d like to say I played a part in creating that winning positive enjoyment and culture,” he says.
“We try to be professional in our approach to everything and I think that’s a lure. I think people want to be part of that. And obviously when you do achieve a bit of success, that draws people in.”
Flapper’s role as Victorian Under 18 coach has seen him mentor some of the state’s brightest talents.
“Just aiding in their development and seeing what levels they can go to,” he says.
“Everyone’s different. Everyone’s got their own characteristics and just trying to maximise their potential. I think it’s extra special when it comes through your own club.”
Kira Bourke, Tyson Cromie and Maddie Jacobs spring to mind as young guns who have, or are making, their way as state players after coming through Ocean Grove’s ranks.
“If you had said to Maddie Jacobs 18 months ago, you’d play for Victoria and you’d come back a national champion, I don’t think she would have believed you, but she worked hard and set her sights on some goals,” Flapper says.
“I love it. I’m passionate about the Under 18s. Someone invested in me all those years ago, and here’s my chance to give back.”
More recently, Flapper’s career culminated in being awarded life membership of Bowls Victoria in September.
“I got a phone call from the Bowls Victoria president and she said ‘it’s my pleasure to tell you that you’ve been awarded life membership of Bowls Victoria’,” he says.
“I asked her ‘can you just hold on a sec?’ and I turned my phone on speaker and said ‘can you repeat that for me?’
“She said it again and obviously (wife) Linda heard it and burst into tears. It was just so unexpected. Very humbled to be awarded that I can tell you – very, very proud as.”
