South Australia have notched their first Sheffield Shield outright victory in 20 matches, downing Tasmania by 15 runs in a tense day-three finish at Bellerive.
The Redbacks dismissed the Tigers for 196 in their second innings after tea to secure outright points in a Shield game for the first time since November 2010.
The South Australians erupted in celebrations when Tigers’ allrounder Luke Butterworth’s rearguard action, which had threatened to steal the match, came to an end when he was caught for 57.
The win came after Tasmania had secured first-innings points with their total of 138 to the visitors’ first-dig score of 112.
The Redbacks were bowled out for 237 on Saturday morning after 18-year-old Travis Head had led the way with 75.
Tasmania’s target of 212 looked gettable on a flattening deck and in the best weather conditions of the match.
But promising partnerships failed to kick on and Butterworth’s lone hand at the death wasn’t quite enough to get the Tigers home.
Young Redbacks’ quick Kane Richardson led the charge with 4-34, while Chadd Sayers and Johan Botha chipped in with two wickets each.
Four Test squad members started the match – Ricky Ponting, Ed Cowan, Ben Hilfenhaus and Nathan Lyon – but none would have sent a shiver down the spine of the touring South Africans.
Ponting was withdrawn from the match on Friday with hamstring soreness after making just five in the first innings.
Cowan battled tough conditions to make six and 26 and is still yet to pass 50 in seven Shield innings this season.
Hilfenhaus had some much-needed time in the middle, bowling a total of 39 overs for match figures of 4-108.
Lyon, though, was given only four overs by Redbacks’ skipper Botha for figures of 0-10.
Hilfenhaus and Butterworth (3-40) cleaned up the Redbacks’ tail after they had resumed at 7-225 but Richardson soon had the home side in trouble.
He removed Mark Cosgrove (2) and Steve Cazzulino (0) to have Tasmania 2-2 before Cowan and skipper George Bailey (20) took the home side to 2-49.
Bailey nicked Sayers to keeper Tim Ludeman before Cowan was also caught behind pushing forward for 4-56.
Aiden Blizzard (4) top-edged a pull shot off Richardson at 5-60 before a partnership of 50 between Ben Dunk (34) and James Faulkner (18) briefly threatened to take the game away from SA.