HOBART, Nov 25 AAP - Stuart Clark took six wickets to bowl New South Wales to a heart-stopping 22-run win over Tasmania and earn the gratitude of anxious captain Simon Katich in the Pura Cup match in Hobart today.

Katich admitted to some heart flutters as Shane Watson threatened to hit the Tigers to an unlikely victory.

"Heartstoppers are better than getting flogged, but you don't want to have them too tight," Katich said.

"Once it got into the twenties you start to wonder, you think it only takes four or five good shots."

But it was Clark who ended Watson's death or glory charge to finish with 6-84 as, with first innings destroyer Don Nash injured, he shouldered a disproportionate workload.

Katich said Clark had done a wonderful job while also praising Nathan Bracken and Stuart MacGill.

Tasmania began the final day at 3-98 and needing another 167.

It never looked like getting them after Michael Di Venuto (52) and Dan Marsh (39), who'd batted stubbornly for 90 minutes last night, were both dismissed in the first half hour.

Watson stayed, but no-one could stay with him and when Damien Wright went to the last ball before lunch, the Tigers were 8-190. That became 9/199 when Shane Jurgensen was run out.

But Watson wasn't finished and in Adam Griffith, though he played and missed at Clark innumerable times, stuck like a limpet.

Watson farmed the strike and started to attack, once smashing Clark out of the ground, and the target steadily shrank.

But he went for the big one once too often and skied a hook which Brad Haddin ran about 30 metres to take and it was all over. Griffith stayed 47 minutes for four.

Watson made 75, the best score by a Tasmanian batsman this season, which largely explains why last year's finalist is pointless after four matches -- its worst start to a season.

Nash injured his foot while taking 6-48 in the Tasmanian first innings and Katich said that was one of the reasons he didn't enforce the follow-on despite a 169 lead.

He bowled six relatively ineffective overs in the second before leaving the field. X-rays showed he had a broken bone and Katich said he'd probably be out for about six weeks.

However he was named man of the match, for his bowling and his lusty 50 as the NSW first innings tail wagged damagingly.

Disappointed Tasmanian captain Jamie Cox found some positives - particularly the superb bowling of Wright and Jurgensen to dismiss NSW for 86 in its second innings and give the Tigers a realistic target and Watson's return to form.

The boom allrounder seems to have had trouble adapting back to the four-day game after becoming part of the Australian one-day team.

But Cox found no consolation in the tightness of the match.

"Losing by 20-odd runs may as well have been 200," he said.

"In fact 20-odd runs makes you feel worse because we know we were competitive and had a fantastic opportunity today, but with the exception of Watto (Watson) we weren't good enough with our batting."

© 2002 AAP

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