SA finishes season on high with win over Tigers

ADELAIDE, March 9 AAP - South Australian skipper Greg Blewett says his youthful side can approach next summer with confidence after finishing this season with a big outright Pura Cup victory over Tasmania at Adelaide Oval today.

After SA made 6(dec)-500 in its first innings, then dismissed the Tigers for 276 and enforced the follow-on, the Redbacks bowled Tasmania out for 264 in its second innings today, before making 2-41 in an extended second session to cruise to victory.

Michael Divenuto top-scored with 82 in the Tigers' second innings, after his 81 in the first innings, while Daniel Marsh (58), Sean Clingeleffer (34) and Damien Wright (36) offered some solid lower order resistance today to delay SA's march to victory.

SA opener David Fitzgerald was named man of the match for his 147 in SA's first innings.

The eight-wicket win was SA's second commanding victory in its final three matches, after it beat Cup leader Queensland by an innings here last month, and gave the Redbacks a season total of 28 points on the Pura Cup table.

While that was only good enough for fourth position, it was the best result SA has had in the five-year reign of outgoing coach Greg Chappell.

The success of young pacemen Shaun Tait and Mark Cleary, who both debuted in the last half of the season, and Paul Rofe, in just his second season with the side, were further reasons for confidence.

Tait had the first five-wicket haul of his five-match career in the first innings, and took match figures of 7-102, while Cleary had match figures of 4-108 and Rofe took 3-41 from 26 overs in the second innings.

"We finished on 28 points, which is our most since we won the Shield, and we had some good results along the way," Blewett told reporters.

"We found a couple of bowlers, which was a plus for us, we were able to experiment a bit towards the end of the year, so we've got a lot to work with.

"We've definitely got the talent here, it's just a matter of guys being a bit more consistent throughout the year for us to compete with New South Wales and Queensland.

"We've beaten both this year, we just need to do it day in and day out."

Tasmanian skipper Jamie Cox, whose side finished in last place on the Cup table, said the Tigers' batting had been very inconsistent this season.

But he said the side had unveiled some promising young players late in the season in left-arm orthodox spinner Xavier Doherty and batsman Chris Bassano.

"It was disappointing to finish on the bottom after making the final last year, it's less than ideal, but we know where we went wrong, we just weren't consistent enough before Christmas," he said.