GK Foods Crowned TCICA National T20 Champions After Thrilling Victory Over Beaches

GK Foods are the new champions of the Turks and Caicos Islands Cricket Association (TCICA) National T20 Cricket Competition after defeating Beaches by four runs in a tense and exciting final at the Downtown Ball Park on Sunday, June 21.

The victorious GK Foods Cricket Team, who were crowned Champions of the TCICA T20 Competition after defeating Beaches in the final.

Batting first after winning the toss, GK Foods posted a competitive 138 all out in 18 overs, before producing a disciplined bowling performance to dismiss Beaches for 134 in 19.2 overs, sealing a memorable championship triumph.

The victory capped an outstanding season for GK Foods, who showed resilience with both bat and ball to edge out a determined Beaches side in one of the most closely contested matches of the tournament.

Ariharan Leads the Way with the Bat

GK Foods suffered an early setback when Ganesan Kuthalingam was dismissed for 4, but Ariharan Kuthalingam anchored the innings with a brilliant 44 off 35 balls, striking six fours and two sixes.

He received support from Ashok Kumar, who scored a quick 13 from 9 deliveries, while Thabisco Reo contributed 11 and Rajakumar Kasi added 10.

Despite regular wickets falling, GK Foods managed to push their total to 138 thanks largely to valuable extras, with Beaches conceding 31 runs in wides, no-balls and byes.

For Beaches, Claude Williams was the standout bowler, claiming 4 wickets for 17 runs from four overs, while Bryan Williams picked up two wickets and Renne Carlson Jones, Anthony McKnight and Jerome Daley each claimed one wicket.

Beaches Fall Just Short

Chasing 139 for victory, Beaches started positively with Anthony McKnight making 16 and Kenneth Lewis striking 26 off 22 balls, including two sixes.

Sidue Hunter, who has been one of the competition's leading batsmen, added 13, while Jerome Daley contributed 10. However, wickets continued to fall at crucial moments as GK Foods applied relentless pressure.

The turning point came through the bowling of Akhilesh Chathurakinarulla, who delivered a match-winning spell of 4 wickets for 27 runs, removing key Beaches batsmen and swinging momentum firmly in GK Foods' favor.

Nagarajan Kuthalingam chipped in with 2 for 22, while Ariharan Kuthalingam, Rajakumar Kasi, Vijay Daniel Paramasivan and Ashok Kumar each collected a wicket.

Beaches still had hopes through Renne Carlson Jones, who remained unbeaten on 15, but the target ultimately proved just out of reach as the innings ended on 134.

Championship Glory

The four-run victory sparked celebrations among GK Foods players and supporters as they claimed the prestigious TCICA National T20 title.

Ganesan Kuthalingam (in yellow), Captain of the GK Foods Cricket Team, and Tabisco Reo lift the TCICA Championship Trophy during the presentation on Sunday, June 21.

Akhilesh Chathurakinarulla's all-round tournament performance was highlighted by his competition-leading 17 wickets, while Beaches star Sidue Hunter finished as the tournament's leading run-scorer and Most Valuable Player.

The TCICA also recognized several long-serving members with plaques for more than 15 years of service, including Hurbert Williams, Kareem Jack, Haiden Spring, Garvin Bruno, Damian St. Ange, Simijo Devassy, Nuwan Bodhinayake, Lyndon Tyson, Maxine Salmon, Ian Ganess, Anthony McKnight and Ricardo Brown.

For GK Foods, however, the day belonged to the champions, whose collective effort secured the 2025 TCICA National T20 crown and etched their names into local cricket history.