Queensland number nine Ben Cutting dominated partnerships with fellow tail-enders Steve Magoffin and Alister McDermott to drag the Bulls out of peril against PKF Tasmania Tigers on Friday afternoon.
Cutting was 72-not-out and had added 106-runs with the last two Bulls' batsmen to rescue the visitors and help them post the more respectable 9-195 on a seaming deck at Blundstone Arena when bad light stopped play at 5.45pm.
Play was abandoned soon after and will re-commence at 10am on Saturday to make up for time lost on Day 1.
Reduced to 8-89 during a withering spell from Jackson Bird (5-56), the Bulls' tail swung hard, if not always handsomely, at the Tasmanian attack to drag back the momentum when the PKF Tigers looked poised to wrap up the innings early.
Cutting bought up his half-century with a six over backward square leg and his 74-ball dig represented his highest first-class score in 23 matches.
PKF Tigers’ all-rounder Matt Johnston (1-31) had given Cutting a life when he dropped a difficult return chance with the tail-ender on 29 and must have rued the miss when the big Queenslander blasted him for a huge six over square-leg to bring up the Bulls' 150.
While he wasn't necessarily correct in terms of technique, Cutting’s method proved a better choice than that of his top order team-mates who battled to deal with a seaming ball on a day that saw Bird's burgeoning reputation continue to grow.
The right-arm quick ripped through the Bulls’ middle order to put the home side in the box seat but Cutting's late-innings heroics has given the ladder leaders hope of pushing for first innings points on a deck that will continue to provide assistance to new-ball bowlers.
The day started badly for Queensland when Wade Townsend was sent packing for a duck and despite some resistance from Joe Burns (43), the next best return was from Andrew Robinson (19).
The PKF Tigers may have let their grip on the contest slip during Cutting's onslaught and captain George Bailey's decision to bowl first having won the toss had some of the sheen taken off during the latter stages of the afternoon.
But a wicket early on Saturday will still have Tasmania in the box seat for first innings points and a tilt at a valuable outright victory.