Needing to claim only a single rink to secure its table position, Stanhope went above and beyond the bare minimum, winning the match overall 14-70 to 2-58 against Rich River.
Robert Ponton led a big 35-12 rink for Stanhope, while fellow skip Timothy Hancock eked out a closer win 20-18 ahead of Keith Hewitt.
Tim Noar pulled back a significant portion of shots for Rich River, winning 28-15, but his side still went down overall.
Moama secured the vital double chance with a win over Kyabram, 14-61 to 2-54.
None of the three rinks were a blowout in a tense encounter between finals teams, but both Rodney Werner (23-19) and Geoffrey Beattie (24-17) were able to pick up points for the Steamers.
Kyabram’s Paul McInnes got the job done in his rink, winning 18-14 over Robert Young, but the Bombers will have to do it the hard way if they wish to claim the title, relegated to third.
Although it turned out to be out of its hands, Deniliquin was out to win all three rinks against Mathoura to have any chance at dethroning Stanhope, but the Timbercutters turned the tables on Deni to claim victory 14-69 to 2-56.
Mick Humphreys had the biggest win, 28-14 over rival skip Conway Bovell, while David Hicks also earned points for Mathoura 25-17.
Shane Laing grabbed rink points for Deni 25-16, but the side’s valiant season ended in defeat.
The final match of the round saw top dog Echuca run up a convincing result over Rochester, despite dropping two rinks.
Skip Ian Page, alongside Evan Berryman, Ivan Hicks and Stan Barker, impressed with a 38-9 scoreline to earn their side the win.
In some narrow battles, Tim Quinlan (17-16) and Richard Feuk (26-24) picked up enough points for Rochester to get the side off the bottom of the ladder.
Tongala had the bye in the final round.
The semi-finals are now set to begin next week at Lockington Bowls Club.
Echuca and Moama will face off in a grand final qualifier, while the loser will take on the winner of the elimination final between Kyabram and Stanhope.
Division 1
Echuca 9-2-2 178 (+127)
Moama 10-0-4 170 (+142)
Kyabram 9-1-4 163 (+114)
Stanhope 7-1-5 149 (+101)
Tongala 5-1-7 122 (+29)
Deniliquin 5-1-7 122 (-13)
Mathoura 4-2-8 100 (-85)
Rochester 3-1-9 100 (-88)
Rich River 3-1-9 96 (-87)
Lower divisions
In division two, Echuca downed Stanhope 14-65 to 2-48, while Rich River dominated Kyabram 16-68 to 0-37.
Deniliquin edged out Moama 14-57 to 2-55.
Moama and Stanhope have earned their way into a qualifying final, while Echuca and Rich River will battle in an elimination final.
In division three, Lockington took down Tongala 15-63 to 1-41, while Rich River survived Stanhope 14-51 to 2-53 and Deniliquin stole a close one over Elmore 14-68 to 2-64.
Moama beat Kyabram 15-64 to 1-55 and Echuca swept Rochester 16-63 to 0-45.
Moama and Kyabram will face off again next week, this time with a spot in the grand final on the line, while Echuca will battle Lockington in an elimination semi.
In division four, Lockington crushed Tongala 16-78 to 0-51, while Deniliquin RSL defeated Rich River 15-66 to 1-51 and Mathoura beat Ky Valley View 14-74 to 2-56.
Kyabram edged past Moama 15-59 to 2-58 and Echuca took a close one over Rochester 14-64 to 2-61.
After their thriller, Moama and Kyabram will face off again in a qualifying semi, while Echuca and Deniliquin RSL have a harder road to the decider.
In division five, Lockington got by Echuca Blue 12-37 to 2-36, and Stanhope dominated Rich River 14-45 to 0-23.
Deniliquin White took out local rival Deniliquin Blue 12-40 to 2-38, Moama edged past Kyabram 12-36 to 2-32, and Rochester got the best of Echuca White 12-40 to 2-32.
Moama and Deniliquin Blue are the top two heading into a qualifying semi, while Deniliquin White and Lockington complete the top four.
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