After three days of rather ordinary weather in Melbourne, it was probably unreasonable to expect that as many as 110 overs could be bowled on the fourth and final day of this Pura Cup match between Victoria and Queensland at Punt Road.

Matthew Elliott defied the odds by enacting a bold first innings declaration; rival skipper Stuart Law followed suit in the second; and Matthew Mott (87), Michael Kasprowicz (4/53) and Andy Bichel (2/43) all energized the prospect that outright points could somehow be seized from the ruin.

Even umpires Bob Parry and Richard Patterson tried their best, bringing the players back for a 3.4 over burst at the end of the day after extremely dim light had forced an earlier interruption.

In the end, though, there was no chance of extending the match beyond 6:46pm, by which point the Victorians had reached a score of 6/240 as they pursued a target of 312 to win. Even if the clock had been turned back ten months to the finish of the Third Test between Pakistan and England at Karachi, it would have been impossible to find a match ending in more murky or uncomfortable conditions.

Queensland duly accepted first innings points after their opponents' early closure; Victoria took none.

That the players had kept matters bubbling away for as long as they did was due chiefly to Elliott's decision to terminate his team's first innings at its overnight total of 3/160 - some 257 runs in arrears of the visitors' 417.

And to rival captain Law, who responded in kind. Around two wickets to left arm paceman Mathew Inness (2/19) and some sumptuous strokeplay from Martin Love (34*), Law quickly pulled the pin on the Bulls' second innings at 2/54 to leave both teams with a minimum 95 overs - in theory anyway - from which to settle the issue.

Bichel rapidly defeated Elliott (4) outside the line of off stump for the second time in the match, but a patient Mott shored up the Bushrangers' defences. Solid support came from Jason Arnberger (33) and Brad Hodge (33), and later from Michael Klinger (44*), to ensure that the required scoring rate never ventured much past four runs an over at any stage of the chase.

Ultimately, though, the combination of superb line and length bowling from Kasprowicz and the presence of a mass of black clouds proved unmanageable.

The right arm paceman returned fine figures, but deserved even better after finding life where few others could in the pitch and beating the edge of the bat consistently. As they consider their alternatives in the lead-up to 8 November, Australia's selectors could do far worse than choose him to complement Glenn McGrath and Jason Gillespie in their attack for the First Test against New Zealand.

The conditions, too, again denied the teams. Drizzle fell intermittently throughout the day in the lead-up to a heavy shower that forced a half-hour stoppage after tea. The quality of the light was no better than average for most of the day either, and the damp and greasy conditions at ground level forced ball changes on at least four separate occasions.

Weather permitting, the teams will return to Punt Road tomorrow for an ING Cup clash. In sympathy with the wintry conditions, perhaps, Queensland and Australian opener Matthew Hayden has the 'flu and his appearance remains in doubt.

© 2001 CricInfo Ltd