World Professional Sculling Championships
- Introduction
- Record of Racing—table summarising racing results from 1831 to 1958
- Brief History of Australians in World Professional Sculling
- 1926 Rules Governing World Professional Sculling
- 1863 Chambers (GBR)
def Green (AUS) - 1876 Trickett (AUS)
def Sadler (GBR) - 1877 Trickett (AUS)
def Rush (AUS) - 1879 Trickett (AUS)
def Laycock (AUS) - 1880 Hanlan (CAN)
def Trickett (AUS) - 1881 Hanlan (CAN)
def Laycock (AUS) - 1882 Hanlan (CAN)
def Trickett (AUS) - 1884 Hanlan (CAN)
def Laycock (AUS) - 1884 Beach (AUS)
def Hanlan (CAN) - 1885 Beach (AUS)
def Hanlan (CAN) - 1886 Beach (AUS)
def Ross (UK) - 1887 Beach retires & forfeits to Kemp (AUS)
- 1888 Kemp (AUS)
def Hanlan (CAN)—twice - 1888 Searle (AUS)
def Kemp (AUS) - 1889 Searle (AUS)
def O'Connor (CAN) - 1890 McLean (AUS)
def Kemp (AUS) - 1891 Stanbury (AUS)
def McLean (AUS) - 1896 Stanbury (AUS)
def Harding (GBR) - 1901 Towns (AUS)
def Gaudaur (CAN) - 1904 Towns (AUS)
def Tressider (AUS) - 1905 Stanbury (AUS)
def Towns (AUS) - 1906 Towns (AUS)
def Stanbury (AUS) - 1908 Arnst (NZL)
def Webb (NZL) - 1910 Arnst (NZL)
def Barry (GBR) - 1911 Arnst (NZL)
def Pearce (AUS) - 1912 Barry (GBR)
def Arnst (NZL) - 1913 Barry (GBR)
def Pearce (AUS) - 1914 Barry (GBR)
def Paddon (AUS) - 1919 Felton (AUS)
def Barry (GBR) - 1920 Barry (GBR)
def Felton (AUS) - 1921 Arnst (NZL) regains title by forfeit from Barry (GBR) who retires
- 1921 Arnst (NZL)
def Hannan (NZL) - 1922 Hadfield (NZL)
def Arnst (NZL) - 1922 Paddon (AUS)
def Hadfield (NZL) - 1923 Paddon (AUS)
def Hadfield (NZL) - 1925 Goodsell (AUS)
def McDevitt - 1925 Goodsell (AUS)
def Hannan (NZL) - 1925 Goodsell (AUS)
def Paddon (AUS) - 1926 Goodsell (AUS)
def Saul (AUS) - 1927 Goodsell (AUS)
def Barry (GBR) - 1927 Barry (GBR)
def Goodsell (AUS) - 1932 Phelps (GBR)
def Goodsell (AUS) - 1933 Pearce (AUS)
def Phelps (GBR) - 1934 Pearce (AUS)
def Miller (USA) - 1938 Pearce
def Paddon (AUS) - 1948 Paddon (AUS)
def Fisher (AUS) - 1949 Cook (AUS)
def Paddon (AUS) - 1950 Paddon (AUS)
def Cook (AUS) - 1952 Saul (AUS)
def Paddon (AUS) - 1952 Paddon (AUS)
def Saul (AUS) - 1953 Fischer (AUS)
def Paddon (AUS)
13 September 1952 Evans Paddon (AUS) defeats Jim Saul (AUS) on the Richmond River at Woodburn in 21m 50.4s
This rematch occurred some five months after the earlier race with Paddon reconsidering his threatened retirement within a week of the earlier race.
Jim Saul retired after this race, married and returned to farming. Four years later in 1957, he had a trawler built and commenced prawn trawling. In 1978 he was appointed to the Fish Marketing Authority of NSW and served several terms as Chairman of that Authority, retiring in 1990. In 1988, he was a key player in the errection of the new fish market in Sydney which used a dutch auction system for selling the fish.This speeded up the selling process thus enabling buyers to return to their businesses early. It is still operating today. He was awarded an Order of Australia for his services to the fishing industry.
l-r: Norm Shulstad, Jim Skinner (Paddon's pacemaker), Evans Paddon, Jim Palmer, Jock Bankcroft (secretary of the committee), Charlie Edwards (Saul's pacemaker), Jim Saul, Jack Saul, Verne Thompson (committee)
13 June 1953—Evans Fischer (AUS) defeats Evans Paddon (AUS) on the Richmond River at Woodburn NSW in 20m 55s
Fischer was from the Clarence River NSW and defeated Paddon three times, each for a £300 wager. The second race was on 7 August 1954 on the Clarence River where Fischer won in 20m 57.2s. The last race was on 25th May 1957 again on the Clarence River where Fischer won in 20m 46.4s. Fischer retired as the undefeated champion of the world at the age of 26 in 1958 as nobody came forward to challenge him. He still holds the famous professional sculling trophy, the "R C Hagon Cup" in his trophy cabinet at his home. Paddon retired in 1957 after the third defeat.
Fischer's financial backing came from the people of Maclean and surrounding districts and they shared in the prize money he won.
The first race was won by Fischer by two lengths. He was coached by Jack Casey and Snowy Burns. Paddon again immediately announced his retirement after the race and said that "Fischer was just too good for me". However Paddon returned two more times to challenge Fischer for the Championship.
Fischer learned his skills when he and his brother rowed a flat bottomed boat containing their sisters from Chatsworth Island where his parents farm was located to the Wombah school which they attended. This not only developed his skills but also his endurance and strength.
He raced successfully in butchers boat and Gladstone skiffs before progressing to a racing boat. He came from a good rowing family with his father a prominent rowing club member and his grandmother, Mary Anne Carolyn Fischer, a sister of the great Henry Searle. Jack Casey, his father's cousin, was his coach "and a darned good one, too" Fischer claimed.
Fischer hoped to raced Merv Wood, but as Wood was an amateur and he was a professional, it did not occur.