London

The only time I’ve ever been compared to Paul Newman was when I made a salad dressing so good it was almost marketable. Etienne Wagner has to put up with the comparisons every day of his life; like Newman’s ‘Fast’ Eddie Felson, he’s a pool hustler.

I met the 37-year-old in JFK’s Pool Hall in Peckham, one of only three sizeable pool venues in the capital.

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It’s a tidy 15-table room with some of the world’s hottest young pool-playing talent among its patrons, including England pro Andy Breen and 15-year-old (and youngest ever) European Junior Champion, Steve Petty.

Wagner’s the resident shark, and began in his early twenties in his native South Africa. After early incarnations as a para (the Newman reference is invidious – he’s built more like Drago from ‘Rocky IV’) and a fireman, his transition from playing casual games for loose change to league competitions led to him being thrown out of the fire service. It didn’t matter; he’d realised he had the nerve and the ability to become a full-time hustler, and made his move in mid-1992.

His new career took him around South Africa: 1995 was spent hitchhiking over 15,000km; in later years his winnings bought him a truck, which he drove around the Cape for two months with only his pitbull for company. After eight-and-a-half years on the road, Wagner’s infamy had seen him run out of opponents and it was time to move on. Along the way, he’d been literally stabbed in the back by one disgruntled punter, while a month-long winning streak in another bar ended in a brawl involving the entire clientele. By contrast, since arriving in the UK, the worst response he’s encountered has been two opponents snapping their cues in anger.

Like charity muggers, cold callers and Richard Littlejohn, Wagner effectively makes his living from pissing people off. Breen, Petty and the others can enjoy the camaraderie of travelling to England matches and the unquestioned support of their parents. The South African can’t afford to make friends, but he’s philosophical about it. He won’t banter during matches and neither drinks nor smokes: nothing to compromise his game. A fellow Springbok who backs him in money matches is a ‘business associate’.