Rainbird rips through Bulls, breaks 164-year-old record

Tasmanian seamer Sam Rainbird has re-written the record books with a stunning eight-wicket haul to give the Tigers a genuine chance of making next week's Marsh Sheffield Shield final.

The left-armer was near unplayable as he single-handedly ripped through Queensland at Blundstone Arena today with his 8-21 from 14.5 overs the all-time best figures in an innings by a Tasmanian bowler in the Sheffield Shield.

The 29-year-old – who returned to the Tigers side with Peter Siddle rested after being omitted from last week's narrow loss to Victoria – eclipsed fast bowler Peter Clough's 8-95 (35) against Western Australia in Launceston in 1984, breaking a 38-year record.

Teammate Jackson Bird holds the third and fourth positions on list with hauls of 7-18 and 7-45.

It was also the 16th best bowling performance in an innings in the 129-year history of the Sheffield Shield and the most economical eight-wicket haul.

Rainbird also broke a 164-year record to claim Tasmania's best figures in all first-class cricket – as up until being admitted into the Sheffield Shield competition in 1977-78 they only played two or three matches a year – surpassing William Brown's 8-31 against Victoria in March 1858.

The Bulls were bowled out for 104 inside 41 overs after being asked to bat first by Tigers skipper Beau Webster, with Gabe Bell (2-29) collecting the other wickets to fall.

Rainbird struck in the 15th over after Queensland openers Bryce Street and Joe Burns put on 40 runs of the first wicket in bowler friendly conditions at Bellerive Oval.

He then struck twice in his next over, removing both Matthew Renshaw and Jack Clayton as the Bulls went to lunch 4-83.

Burns (28) and captain Jimmy Peirson put on 36 for the fifth wicket before Rainbird struck again immediately after the break as the visitors lost their last six wickets for 21 runs.

If the Tigers can make 360 runs in the first 100 overs of their first innings, they would jump NSW on the Sheffield Shield table (presuming the Blues score one bonus point or less) even if both sides win, meaning Tasmania would only need to rely on Victoria beating WA to make the final.

Rainbird's previous best first-class figures came more than eight years ago when he took 6-68 against NSW at Blacktown in October 2013. It's just his third five-wicket haul in his 53-match first class career.

Tasmania XI: Caleb Jewell, Tim Ward, Mac Wright, Jake Doran (wk), Jordan Silk, Beau Webster (c), Brad Hope, Tom Andrews, Jackson Bird, Sam Rainbird, Gabe Bell

Queensland XI: Joe Burns, Bryce Street, Matthew Renshaw, Jack Clayton, Sam Truloff, Jimmy Peirson (c) (wk), Jack Wildermuth, James Bazley, Gurinder Sandhu, Matt Kuhnemann, Blake Edwards