WPL Title Decider at Chelmsford This Sunday

Match action from Chelmsford Cobras' exciting 7-6 home win over
the Widnes Wild women's team earlier in the season. 
(Photo by Perry Tomlinson) 

There is a fascinating game in store at Chelmsford this Sunday lunchtime as the destiny of this season’s Women’s Premier League title will be decided.

It’s the final game of the league campaign for both Chelmsford Cobras and Streatham Storm and by happy coincidence, the top two teams in the division meet in a “winner takes all” encounter.

The Storm are currently top of the WPL table with 18 points from their 11 league games and the Cobras are just one point behind, having led the table for much of the season.

The Cobras beat Streatham 3-4 down in South London back in November but since then have only won two of their last 5 games – drawing away at both Nottingham Vipers and Widnes, who are both in the bottom half of the table – and losing their last game 8-3 away at Slough in what was the first game to be played on the temporary ice surface there.

The Storm have gone unbeaten since the start of the year and only dropped one point – in a 3-3 draw away at Milton Keynes last weekend – since their defeat by Chelmsford.

They played two games in April whereas, due to the vagaries of the league fixtures, the Cobras have not had a competitive game since 4^th March so it will be interesting to see how that has a bearing on team performances.

With Streatham having a one point lead at the top of the table, a draw would be enough to hand them the title while Chelmsford obviously need to win the game to be crowned champions.

It would be an amazing turn-around for the Cobras, who finished bottom of the WPL last season, while Streatham finished in 3rd place and reached the play off final.

Streatham has a proud place in the history of women’s hockey and the earlier Streatham Strikers were one of the first properly organised women’s teams in the country with their own ice and facilities back in the early 1980s.  They won the early English Women’s League title in both 1986/86 and 1987/88 seasons.

Chelmsford Cobras take on Streatham Storm this Sunday 14^th May at the Riverside Ice & Leisure Centre in Chelmsford in the match that will decide the Women’s Premier League championship. Face off is at 12.20 (midday…) and admission is free…!