phillip@phillipmarlowe.com
I'm an English teacher, an old-fashioned Webmaster and online squash coach.
My life, some with dates.
Everything is true. Most of it is boring. Some of it is cool.
- 1964: Born (meh).
- Went to primary school - hated it.
- 1974: Crashed my bike and smashed my two front teeth.
- Went to high school - hated it even more, although I did enjoy Computer Science and was first introduced to programming.
- Fell in love with tennis - wanted to be a pro.
- Caught a really big fish in the canal at the bottom of my road.
- Got an after-school job in a polythene bag factory.
- 1980: Left school and worked full time in said polythene bag factory.
- Fell out of love with tennis, fell in love with squash.
- Worked in Audio T a high-end audio equipment shop in West Hampstead, London.
- 1984: Flew on a plane for the first time - loved it.
- Learnt to swim at about 21.
- Broke the Guinness World Squash Endurance Record: 122h 44m.
We played continuously for over 5 days. I will build a proper page in Summer 2026. - Became professional squash coach at Wembley Squash Centre.
- First met and practised with Jahangir Khan - A machine on a squash court - almost unbelievable.
Jahangir was unbeaten for 555 matches over five years. Hitting with him felt like the ball had a different trajectory — pace, spin, angles you simply don't see elsewhere. - Got to know plenty of world champions, shared the court with them.
- Went to the operetta for the first time: The Mikado - liked it.
- Worked at various squash clubs around London, including the Bath & Racquets Club, Mayfair, which is without doubt the best club I have ever been to.
One day, the owner, Mark Birley, casually mentioned he had just returned from the Azores, and asked whether I had sailed there. He had a Pikachu face when I told him I didn't sail. - Got sponsored by Dunlop Slazenger.
- Started coaching regional and national squads.
- First met and worked with Jonah Barrington - The most inspirational person I have ever met.
- Ran the Dunlop Roadshow. I can't find any information online about it. We visited about 15 clubs and sports centres each year for 5 years and introduced squash to approximately 30,000 children.
- Burnt out from squash coaching and did something else for a year (can't remember what - probably not Sex, Drugs and Rock & Roll!).
- Became club coach at The Lansdowne Club, the spiritual home of the British Open.
- Met a very down-to-earth and friendly elderly lady one day and we had a good laugh together. I later found out she was one of the Queen Mother's closest friends.
- Flew to New York and Washington, USA. Loved it.
- Started playing video games, specifically First Person Shooters, with sci-fi storylines. Created a few websites related to those games. Found a new game called Half-Life and became absolutely entranced by it. Started a website, called Run Think Shoot Live, which is the games tagline. I eventually gave it to the community around it but it consumed nearly 15 years of my life.
- Went to the ballet for the first time. I was blown away by how cool it was. Wish I were rich enough to go more often.
- Went on my first typical beach holiday to the Dominican Republic. I loved reading all day.
- Flew on a parachute behind a speedboat. Enjoyed it.
- Went to Cuba. It was okay. I preferred the Dominican Republic.
- Moved to The Basque Country, Spain.
- Started teaching English in companies.
- Started teaching children in an academy in Igorre.
- Tried Octopus and hated it.
- Visited Madrid (meh). However, Las Meninas is incredible
I recommend you get the audio guide when you vist Museo del Prado in Madrid as it explains the history of the painting and puts many things into perspective. and Guernica is spectacular
I've used this image because I wanted you to see the size of the painting, which even then doesn't do it justice.. - Started my Squash YouTube channel. It's quite successful in its niche.
- Had my left hip replaced. It did not go well. I still have pain.
- Started an English YouTube channel . It flopped. Hard.
- Got married. Been together since 2001.
- Had my right hip replaced. My bones suck. This one is good.
- Joined The Chiswick School of English academy. Reminded me that it's important to be challenged and move outside of our comfort zone.
Last updated 25th March 2026 - I will add more details as I remember them.