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Valete
APWB
Andrew Bishop started his Summer Fields
career in the Michaelmas term of 1990. An
Old Marlburian, with experience of teaching
at Belmont (Mill Hill Junior School) and
Caldicott, he immediately impressed boys
and staff alike with his thorough, meticulous
approach to any task he undertook. His
Maths lessons were serious and demanding
but enjoyable too. He took pains to ensure
that boys reached heights that they may not
have thought themselves capable of and, if
that meant working on for a while into the
occasional break or lunch hour, then so be
it! He brought out the best in boys of all
abilities; he taught the Scholars for most
of his 26 years but, with equal success, he
also taught the boys who found the subject
tricky. In April of 1992, inevitably, he became
the Head of Mathematics and he fulfilled
this demanding role for eleven years.
APWB always contributed wholeheartedly
to the sporting life of the school. Colts
Rugby, Junior Colts cricket, football at
a variety of levels – all benefited from
his expertise and enthusiasm. He was a
tremendously efficient rugby referee but
he did like to see a good, tight match. If a
Summer Fields team found itself too far
ahead, one could be pretty certain that
Andy, always courteous and hospitable to
our visitors, would soon do his best to even
things up by whatever spurious methods
were required! His Under 10 cricketers
became accustomed to lengthy after tea
sessions, long after all the other games
had packed up for the afternoon! He was
determined that, even at this early stage,
they should understand how the game
ought to be played.
By inclination Andy is a hockey player
and he played the game at club level as
regularly as he could manage, first at
Hendon, then at Gerrards Cross and latterly
for Oxford Hawks, where he still turns out
for the veterans side. Although this was
not a major sport at Summer Fields at that
time, Andy gave many young sportsmen
the opportunity to try the game and he
instigated the popular matches between
boys and staff.When the sports hall was
opened in 1995 Andy relished the chance
to throw his inspirational energy into the
coaching of fives.What a remarkable success
story this has been. Almost unerringly he
seemed able to identify potential talent
and instil a love for the sport. All that time
spent on the courts in breaks and evenings
soon began to bear fruit. Before too long
Summer Fields was taking on schools
with longstanding fives playing traditions
– schools such as Highgate, Sunningdale,
Ludgrove and Eton. And, of course, before
very much longer we were beating these
schools. How entirely fitting and gratifying it
is that, in Andy’s penultimate year, Summer
Fields were the Prep Schools Champions
and National U12 Champions. A wonderful
reward for the extraordinary amount of time
and energy that APWB has devoted to this
sport. He plays real tennis, too, initially at
the university court in Merton Street but in
recent years at Radley College, and he has
given some lucky boys their first chance to
sample that unusual sport too.
APWB is famous in Summer Fields
circles for his devotion to P.G.Wodehouse
and, indeed, he is a staunch member of
the P.G.Wodehouse Society (UK) and a
possessor of an impressive number of first
editions. On occasion he has arranged
thoroughly enjoyable readings of the
Master’s work. He has appeared in a
number of plays. Sometimes these have
been school productions and I recall his
gritty northern portrayal of Mr Squeers in
Smike. Sometimes he has acted with Oxford
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