Redbacks snap wins drought

South Australia 112 and 237 (Head 75, Christian 50, Butterworth 3-40 Bird 3-48) defeated Tasmania 138 and 196 (Butterworth 57, Richardson 4-34) by 15 runs
Scorecard

South Australia claimed their first Sheffield Shield victory in 21 matches with a tense 15-run defeat of Tasmania in Hobart - coincidentally the same team and venue where the Redbacks last won, in November 2010.

The Tigers lost regular wickets throughout their chase of 212 to win, but the 9th wicket pair of Luke Butterworth and Ben Hilfenhaus crept to within 18 runs before both lost their wickets in the space of two runs to the SA captain Johan Botha and the allrounder Dan Christian.

Playing his first four-day match of the season, Kane Richardson had earlier scooped four wickets to set SA on the path to victory. Before Butterworth and Hilfenhaus, the most substantial partnership of the innings had been a union of 47 between the opener Ed Cowan and the captain George Bailey.

Cowan was out for 23, meaning he will enter the first Test against South Africa with a run of starts and no major scores this summer.