Tasmania cruised to a six-wicket victory over NSW on day four of the Sheffield Shield match at Bellerive yesterday.
Set a modest 147 for victory, the Tigers had little trouble chasing down the target, Ed Cowan top-scoring with 39 before he was bowled by Josh Lalor.
The victory keeps third-placed Tasmania (22 points) in touch with top two sides Queensland (30) and Western Australia (26) after the Warriors' narrow win at the Gabba.
Fifth-placed NSW's final hopes are all but gone after the defeat.
Mark Cosgrove hit the winning runs in the 44th over 20 minutes before the scheduled tea break to finish 25 not out with James Faulkner unbeaten on eight.
The real heroes for Tasmania, though, had been pacemen Faulkner (4-52) and Jackson Bird (4-51), whose superb bowling ended NSW's second innings at 9-150, with the injured Simon Katich unable to bat.
After Faulkner had ripped through the Blues' top order late on Wednesday, the left-armer grabbed his fourth wicket when Peter Nevill pulled straight to Brendan Drew at midwicket on 10.
Bird found himself on a hat-trick when he removed Scott Coyte lbw for 17 and then bowled Sean Abbott first ball.
He then removed Blues captain Stephen O'Keefe, caught at slip by Cosgrove for 35, and it was 8-146 before Trent Copeland was last man out for 17, caught by Cosgrove off Drew.
Desperate for points, both sides had shown their intent to force an outright result in a match that was disrupted by rain on day two.
NSW declared its first innings at 7-341 on day one before the Tigers followed suit on Wednesday evening once first innings points had been secured at 7-345. The major talking point on day three, an umpiring error that resulted in overs being lost when the Tigers had the momentum, failed to impact the result.
Meanwhile, the bowler on national selectors' lips leading up to Queensland's Sheffield Shield clash with Western Australia this week was Ben Cutting.
But it was another Queensland quick - Alister McDermott - who made selector and national captain Michael Clarke sit up and take notice after a remarkable haul of 7-24.
In his first Shield game back since injury cruelled his Test hopes, Cutting was the paceman on the selectors' radar at the Gabba clash.
However, Clarke said McDermott - son of former Test fast bowler Craig - had turned heads after an incredible display that ensured one of the great Shield finishes.
Chasing just 68 for victory, WA was teetering at 9-64 after McDermott's haul was followed by two wickets in consecutive balls by Cutting.
But tailender Michael Hogan survived Cutting's hat-trick ball then rattled off the four runs required for victory off the next two deliveries to break Queensland hearts.
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