Exiles put up an excellent fight but were narrowly beaten by 4 wickets by Kings Road CC at Haydon’s Road on Sunday.

Batting first, Exiles flew out of the blocks with 43 for Ajmal and 39 for Ansar in partnership of 65 off the first 10 overs. When they were out, contributions from Shahid, Andy and Yahya sustained the innings and a flourish from Jibs (with 27no off 16 balls) helped the side to a seemingly decent 197 for 5 off 35 overs.

Exiles seemed well on their way to victory when they reduced Kings Road to 64 for 4 with a wicket for Naren and three for Jibs. But a stunning 100no off 64 from Matt Andrews turned the tide and he took his side home with 3 balls to spare. Jibs also finished with an excellent, Exiles career best of 4 for 19.

This was a terrific game of cricket and without the innings from Andrews, Exiles were surely likely winners. 12 wins and 7 defeats to finish the 2022 season.