Joseph Sadler

Joseph Henry Sadler was a British professional rower who twice won the World Sculling Championship. Before 1876, the English Sculling Championship was considered to be the premier event in professional sculling. In 1876, the English Title gained the World status and earlier winners were retrospectively given the title of World Champion.

English Sculling Championship record Sadler, who lived in London and worked as a chimney-sweep, rowed his first great match in 1865, at the Thames Regatta Sculls. His opponent was T. Hoare, who was reputed the second greatest contemporary oarsman after English sculling champion Harry Kelley, of whom Sadler was a pupil. Sadler won easily, and the following year on 22 November 1866, contested the English Sculling Championship against Robert Chambers. Kelley, Sadler's mentor, had retired that year, leaving the championship title an open race between Sadler and Chambers. Halfway through the race Sadler seemed to have the measure of his opponent, but Chambers took the lead and did not relinquish it. suggesting that the race would have been his last. However, his actual final Championship race came on 27 June 1876, when he lost to Edward Trickett in 24m.35s. After an even start Trickett took a three lengths lead, which Sadler was unable to recover. This was the first Championship race rowed on sliding seats.(see Harry Clasper (section Sliding seats)). The race became known as the World Championship at this point as Trickett was the first non-British contestant to win. Sadler was reported to have retired after this race but he must have continued some later training. On 5 November 1877 he and Harry Kelley, his old foe, raced over the Putney to Mortlake course for a stake of £400. After an even start Sadler went ahead and was never passed, with a time of 24m.02s. After the race Kelley rowed over to Sadler and shook hands to the cheers of the onlookers.

Crew races As well as his many single sculling races, Sadler was during 1865 and 1866 a member of the Sons of the Thames crew who won the Thames Champion Fours. In 1869, he competed in the same event for the Surbiton crew.

Coaching Sadler coached the Kingston Rowing Club in the eights in 1880.