In a battle at the foot of the table, Rich River had slightly more quality than Rochester across the greens, winning all three rinks in a 16-58 to 0-42 result.
It was never comprehensive in any of the three rinks, the largest margin only eight shots as Bev Trengove defeated Kaye Barker 23-15.
However, Rich River maintained its slight edge in the other two rinks, Dennis Demeo getting the best of Anton Gusak, 16-12, while the remaining rink saw Elizabeth Easther top Kevin Hall 19-15.
Rochy now sits more than a game below its closest opposition at the bottom, and with only four rounds remaining, the side will require at least two victories to avoid claiming the wooden spoon.
Bowlers will return to action on January 20, and the road won’t be easy for Rochester as it visits top-ranked Moama.
Ladder: Moama 136, Echuca 124, Kyabram 107, Stanhope 75, Deniliquin 58, Mathoura 53, Rich River 52, Rochester 35.
Lower divisions
The top three each executed shutouts against the bottom three in division two.
Echuca was dominant over Rich River 16-72 to 0-51, while Kyabram defeated Deniliquin RSL 16-69 to 0-51 and Moama ran up the biggest score 16-93 to 0-37 over Rochester.
Ladder: Moama 131, Kyabram 118, Echuca 103, Deniliquin RSL 81, Rich River 34, Rochester 13.
In division three, Lockingon proved too strong for Elmore 13-42 to 1-35, Deniliquin crushed Rich River 14-64 to 0-21, and Echuca won both rinks over Tongala, 14-48 to 0-24.
Moama won over Kyabram 14-53 to 0-35 and Rochester edged past Ky Valley View 13-37 to 1-36.
Ladder: Deniliquin 122, Tongala 104, Moama 93, Echuca 91, Lockington 82, Kyabram 72, Rich River 57, Elmore 42, Ky Valley View 19, Rochester 18.
In division four, Rich River won over Tongala 14-42 to 0-28, and Lockington defeated Kyabram 14-52 to 0-30.
Stanhope had too much quality for Moama Black 14-57 to 0-26, and Moama Green took down Echuca 14-41 to 0-32.
Ladder: Stanhope 102, Lockington 99, Moama Green 87, Tongala 80, Moama Black 71, Echuca 44, Kyabram 40, Rich River 37.
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