Cobras travelled to Wales very much the underdogs, to face the champions elect. Both teams opened the game at a fast pace, but most of the chances fell to the hosts. Carly Davis in the Cobras' net came up with a number of good stops before Helen Wilson grabbed the first of her three goals on the night.
Chelmsford then started to pressure the Comets, with ice long rushes from Katy Allen creating a number of opportunities for Jen Stedman and Emma Stott in the Cobras forward line. These however came to nothing, and a little over halfway through the period Laura Burns converted a shot from the slot off the post to give Carly Davis no chance. Less than a minute later, the Cardiff lead was 3-0, which would complete the first session.
The second period saw Cardiff come out on fire, but some resilient defence from the Cobras, especially Marianne Wright, who was all over the Comets forwards thoughout the game, kept them out until a couple of quick strikes saw Wilson complete her hat-trick, and Elaine Langford start hers. A Nichola Janik strike saw Chelmsford get a brief rest from the Cardiff pressure, and Rachel Kearn was able to combine with Laura Fish and Sarah Leach to ensure that Emma Hayman in the Cardiff net was alert.
The period ended controversially when following Cardiff's seventh, Katy Allen was given a 10 minute personal penalty for un-sportsmanlike conduct, this was followed almost immediately by an eighth goal, from Becci Hargreaves, after a scramble in front of the Chelmsford net. This forced the Cobras to have to shuffle their reduced resources, and Becky Preen and Emma Stott took turns in covering the defensive duties alongside Marianne Wright.
The third session saw Elaine Langford grab her third goal to complete the Cardiff scoring, but then Chelmsford's resolute defence was able to stifle all the remaining Cardiff pressure to keep their hosts below double figures.
Chelmsford's player of the game was Laura Fish, and the Cardiff award went to Debbie Holder.
This result ensured Cardiff of their second successive league title, and they will attempt to gain promotion in the playoffs coming shortly.
Cobras' next game sees them travel to Oxford on 6th May to try and complete the double over the homeless Streatham Storm. Face-off is at 16:30.
Scoring:
Cardiff: Helen Wilson 3+1(0), Elaine Langford 3+1(0), Becci Hargreaves 1+0(0), Nichola Janik 1+0(0), Laura Burns 1+0(0), Lorraine McMullan 0+2(0), Tracy Abery 0+1(0), Sam Jones 0+1(0).
Chelmsford: Katy Allen 0+0(10) and Emma Stott 0+0(2).