Chicago Tornadoes

Chicago Tornadoes
Conference	Western
Founded	2004
Home ground	Alexian Field
Based in	Chicago
Colors	Purple, green
Head coach
Website	N/A
Championships	None
Conference Championships	None

Marlon Samuels playing for the Chicago Tornadoes against the Texas Arrow Heads

The Chicago Tornadoes were a cricket team that played for the United States Pro Cricket league. It was one of eight founding teams in the league in 2004. This was the only year that the team played as the league was disbanded following the season. The team failed to make the playoffs during 2004.

History

The team's first match was played on 10 July 2004 against eventual champions San Francisco Freedom. On 31 July, the Texas Arrow Heads visited the Tornadoes at their home ground of Alexian Field before meeting them on 17 July in Houston.^[1] The Tornadoes batted first in this match and, despite an early hat-trick, by Corey Collymore, came up with only 157 runs. Texas dominated the match in batting, though. Marlon Samuels hit the Chicago bowlers in every direction and scored a century in only 40 balls. In spite of a strong bowling effort from Franklyn Rose, the Arrowheads reached the target in 15 only overs.^[2] On 7 August, the Tornadoes again played San Francisco, this time at Alexian. The home team set a target of 157 before the Freedom caught them.^[3] The game was won on a six by Ganesh Seetaram in the eighteenth over.^[4]

The team played its final match against the Los Angeles Unity on 14 August.^[1] The Tornadoes were supposed to have played the Unity again a week later. However, this game was canceled because neither team had a chance of advancing to the playoffs. The Tornadoes finished their season without a single win.

Legacy

There were plans at the end of 2004 season for the continuation of the league. It had been stated that the league had funds available for three complete seasons. Attendance at Tornadoes games was relatively low, with only a couple hundred fans at each home match. In the end, the franchise ceased operations when the Pro Cricket league folded after one season.

Notable players

• Franklyn Rose
• Marlon Samuels

References

1. ^ ^{a b} "Pro Cricket - Fast n' Furious Global Action >> Teams >> Chicago Torandoes - About Chicago Torandoes". Pro Cricket, LLC. 2004. Archived from the original on 2004-07-16. http://web.archive.org/web/20040716065144/http://www.procricket.com/aboutct.asp. Retrieved 2007-10-26. 
2. ^ Giri, Nisha (None Given). "Take me to the Ballpark, Oya! Hoya". Little India. http://www.littleindia.com/news/152/ARTICLE/1522/2004-08-05.html. Retrieved 2007-10-26. 
3. ^ Esbrook, Bill (8 August 2004). "Cricket makes its mark as Tornadoes fall just short against Freedom.(Sports) Industry & Business Article - Research, News, Information, Contacts, Divisions, Subsidiaries, Business Associations". Daily Herald. http://goliath.ecnext.com/coms2/gi_0199-54429/Cricket-makes-its-mark-as.html. Retrieved 2007-10-26. 
4. ^ Esbrook, Bill (8 August 2004). "Cricket makes its mark as Tornadoes fall just short against Freedom". Daily Herald. http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-120924783.html. Retrieved 2007-10-26. 

External links

• Pro Cricket Web Page