HOBART, Dec 21 AAP - Queensland, led by Ashley Noffke, tightened its grip on the Pura Cup cricket match against Tasmania in Hobart today.

At stumps on the third day, Tasmania, after being forced to follow on, was 4-99 in its second innings and trailed by 118 runs.

Scott Mason was 40 not out and Dan Marsh was on three.

Noffke took three wickets in the first innings and the first two in the second to ensure Tasmania was left with an impossible rearguard action.

On a Bellerive Oval wicket wicket still playing dreadfully low at times - embarrassed curator Peter Apps said he was perplexed by its behaviour - Tasmania was bowled out for 191, 217 runs behind Queensland's 8-408 declared, with captain Jamie Cox making 88.

Only briefly did Tasmania, which resumed at 2-50, look capable of averting the follow on.

After losing two early wickets, Cox and Marsh stayed for almost an hour and a half while adding 70 runs.

But eight minutes before lunch Marsh, on 32, got a faint edge to Andrew Symonds, after which the only question was whether Cox could get a deserved century.

He was second last out when Noffke ended his defiant, 330-minute vigil.

Cox gave two tough chances and needed treatment after being cracked on the hand, but also hit 15 boundaries - many of them cracking cover drives - and showed, as Martin Love did before him, that despite its difficulties, scoring was possible on the wicket.

He barely had time for a shower, however, before he was back in the middle and this time lasted only three balls before Noffke produced a rare rearing delivery that flew to gully.

With Michael Dighton and Michael Di Venuto falling cheaply either side of tea the Tigers appeared to be subsiding to an embarrassingly lopsided defeat.

But Mason and Scott Kremerskothen frustrated the Bulls for 100 minutes and ensured the match went into the fourth day.

Kremerskothen finally fell for 34, trying to pull a Lee Carseldine delivery that kept low and trapped him in front.

Mason, a fringe state player for years who is cementing his place in the team through sheer grit, has grafted for 148 minutes.

But there's no batting form to follow him and Marsh.

© 2002 AAP NewsWire

This report does not necessarily represent the views of the Australian Cricket Board.