Joseph Henry Sadler (c. 1839 – c. 1889) was a British professional rower who twice won the World Sculling Championship.
[1] Sadler, who lived in London and worked as a chimney-sweep,[2] 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 came home first but a foul had occurred, and the referee was unable to decide which party was in the wrong.
Strong opinions were expressed by several persons who watched the affair from the steamers, and eventually the referee ordered Kelley to row over the course.
The stakes were awarded to Kelley by the referee, but Sadler brought an action against the stakeholder, M. J. Smith, then proprietor of The Sportsman newspaper.
The Court decided that the referee had acted ultra vires in awarding the stakes to Kelley, inasmuch as he had not first taken the trouble to observe for himself Sadler's manoeuvres at the starting post.
Boyd of Durham, to whom Sadler had previously lost by three-quarters of a length in a mile race on the Tyne.