HIGH ACHIEVERS: Lawn bowls’ Dean Chamberlin follows father’s footsteps at Ottawa Sports Awards Dinner

By Martin Cleary

On Dec. 1, 1953, approximately 100 people paid $5 each to attend the inaugural Associated Canadian Travellers Sportsman’s Dinner and Amateur Awards Night in the east end of Ottawa.

It was a welcoming and warm gathering initiated by Lou LaBlond to honour 16 of the city’s best amateur athletes in as many sports. Names like Pinky Mitchell in boxing, Gord Perry in curling and athlete-of-the-year Shirley Thomas in equestrian topped the list of honourees.

Lloyd (Murph) Chamberlin also was among that distinguished group as he was the capital’s kingpin of the five-pin bowling scene.

The distinct Canadian game had several centres in Ottawa, including West Park Bowling, which remains active on Wellington Street. Chamberlin was a regular player on those alleys for many years and rolled strikes for the powerful Dustbane team.

He was a successful five-pin figure, whether earning honours at the Ontario or Ottawa levels. His bowling average was consistency about 260 and it wasn’t uncommon for him to cross 1,000, the total of three straight games.

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Chamberlin once put together a string of 17 strikes, but that was over two games and couldn’t be recognized as a perfect game of 450. The closest he came to a perfect game was 448, when he left the corner two-pin standing on his last shot in the final frame.

He bowled into his 80s, but when his average dipped into the 240 range, he stepped away and put his smooth-sliding bowling shoes in storage.

Seventy-two years later, the Chamberlin name is once again on the top of the charts for the Ottawa Sports Awards, which is the modern-day name of the ACT Sportsman’s Dinner and Amateur Awards Night.

Dean Chamberlin, 75, followed the lead of his dad, but took a different approach to bowling, when he was selected the 2024 athlete of the year for lawn bowls, which is quite different from the five-pin game.

“That’s pretty special,” Dean said about having a second member of the Chamberlin family honoured during Ottawa’s premier night for amateur sports.

“I might get emotional. I miss him. He was one of the better five-pin bowlers in Ottawa for many, many years. He won the Ottawa District championship and bowled in the provincial championships. But he never talked much about his accomplishments.

“As I grew up, he would take me Monday nights to his league games at West Park. His Dustbane teams were famous.”

Chamberlin, who lives in Iroquois, ON, but is a member of the Nepean Lawn Bowls club and the Iroquois Lawn Bowling Club, was “pleasantly surprised” to learn he was selected the Ottawa Sports Awards’ athlete of the year for his sport.

“It wasn’t a goal,” Chamberlin added. “I bowl with my friends to have fun and be competitive. I do my best and we support each other. At the end of the day, you win or lose and be a good sport.

“Winning an award, that’s a bonus. It’s special for me that my dad won there, too.”

He started lawn bowls only three years ago and is classified as a novice player because he has competed in the game less than five years.

Chamberlin recorded several impressive results during the 2024 season, which also allowed him to earn enough points to be named the Bowler of the Year in District 16 (Eastern Ontario).

Two competitions are front and centre in Chamberlin’s mind.

He stepped in at the last minute to help a Kingston-based team represent Ontario and defeat Quebec in a pair of games to win the 94th Governor-General’s tournament in the men’s fours event. He also was the singles bronze medallist at the Ontario men’s novice championship.

Chamberlin filled in for the ailing Pierre Vanderhout of Kingston and joined Curtis Wartman and Donnie Wartman, both of Kingston, and Bill McCollam of Cobourg on Team Ontario to turn back Quebec in back-to-back fours matches.

At the Ontario Lawn Bowls Association men’s novice championship, Chamberlin won five of his six round-robin and playoff matches to capture the bronze medal.

He scored three impressive wins to place first in his round-robin pool, including a 18-12 decision over eventual provincial champion Chad Burgie of Lindsay. Chamberlin defeated Chuck Agro of Burlington 18-10 in the quarterfinals, but lost to Travis Anderson of Chesley 18-14 in the semifinals.

Anderson trailed Chamberlin 12-5, but caught fire and won 13 of the next 15 points to move into the final. In the bronze-medal match, Chamberlin held off Paul Dhaen of Dresden 18-15.

“It was my first Ontario novice championship and I felt really great about the end result,” added Chamberlin, who also enjoys the social aspects of the game. “I was a little disappointed losing my semifinal and not going to the gold match. I had beaten the gold medallist in the round-robin.

“It was a touch disappointing. But when you look at the overall picture, I was pleased I was able to compete at that level and win a medal.”

That medal was one of the key reasons Chamberlin is scheduled to receive his athlete of the year award as the top lawn bowler on Wednesday night.

The complete list of winners for the 2025 Ottawa Sports Awards Dinner is available at OttawaSportsAwards.ca.