One certainly for the ages.

Fronting up against the undefeated Victorians, who were out to make it five wins from five Shield encounters, Tasmania arguably fell just one ball short of a famous victory on Thursday night.

But the Tigers were far from content with pushing the competition leaders to the brink where no other state has done so this season.

“We were in the game for the whole game, so it was disappointing obviously to finish in that manner with five overs to go,” a dejected coach Dan Marsh said the next morning. “We were very flat at the end of the day.”

Victoria were eight wickets down, still requiring an unlikely 42 runs to win, heading into the last five overs.

They just lost Scott Boland for 26 one ball earlier and one ball later Tassie spearhead Jackson Bird was denied a leg before call on Jon Holland.

All the while as Bushrangers veteran allrounder John Hastings sat in the Bellerive dressing rooms certain not to bat with an injured knee.

Then came the rain to wash out the final 20 minutes of scheduled play. 

Marsh was happy to thrust his full support behind the umpires to call the match off.

“It was raining quite heavily and unfortunately that’s just the way it goes sometimes,” he said. “It’s cost us a few times this year; sure it’s frustrating, but there’s not much we can do about it.”

Bird, captaining his state, and Cameron Stevenson, in just his fourth Sheffield Shield game, grabbed three wickets to swing the game late in the hosts’ favour.

Tasmania had fought back from a 27-run innings’ deficit to declare and set Victoria 361 to win late on day three.

Dan Christian’s unbeaten 79 prevented the Tigers the win. But Marsh refused to take the moral high ground to suggest his side was unlucky.

“The game ebbed and flowed,” he said.

“Certainly we got ourselves into a really good position on day three to win.

“Obviously, we went for the win and there were times when we were in front and times when they were.

“It was a really good contest between two good sides.”

Tasmania now sits with one win, two draws and two losses in fifth place on the Sheffield Shield table. 

The Tigers are positioned more than 22 points behind the Victorians, who already have one hand on a place in the competition final at the halfway mark of the season.

But Marsh is yet to concede that Tasmania’s missed its chance to pinch a second win, saying reaching the Shield final is within reach.

“We’re on the improve; no doubt about that,” he said.

“We’d like to be higher up the table, but we’re taking some baby steps to getting back to where we want to be.”

Players will now slip into Big Bash T20 mode and won’t return to first-class cricket until February 1.

“I’d love to keep playing – there is no doubt about that, but it is what it is,” Marsh said.

“We knew this break was coming.”