Tasmanian captain Jamie Cox spoke of "an outrageously good end" while opposite number Greg Blewett lamented a "very ordinary" one. There was joy in one room and disappointment in another as the Tasmanians capped an astonishing late summer revival by crushing South Australia by an innings and forty-one runs in the teams' final game of the Pura Cup season here in Hobart today.

At the start of March, it was scarcely conceivable to think that Tasmania would end this Pura Cup year in anything other than bottom place. The Tigers' mid-season form had been woeful, consistently low scores with the bat resulting in a string of heavy defeats. Following three outright victories in their last three games, though, they will now end the season behind only Queensland and Victoria.

"I think (earlier in the season) a few guys forgot the fact that good teams revolve around great individual performances," said Cox, attributing the turnaround to a dramatic change in attitude.

"We've had that the last three games: we've had matchwinners. We didn't have them during the middle period of the season. Some guys have found a bit of form again and realised that their careers were on the line; it's been great that they've responded brilliantly," he added, affirming that team management had laid down a stern challenge to several of the team's players.

The Tigers had entered the final day of their season still needing another seven South Australian second innings wickets. But, around another disappointing effort from the Redbacks which saw the visitors dismissed for 187, the task didn't overly exert them.

An extended final day had lasted little more than two hours by the time that Mike Smith (25) directed a hook shot at Damien Wright (4/54) into the hands of Dene Hills at deep square leg.

Again, medium pacer Shaun Young (4/33) stood out. Having already demoralised his opponents with an unbeaten 83 and four wickets, Young returned to seize another three scalps and claim the astonishing match figures of 7/57 from thirty-four overs. On an overcast morning, he bowled a nagging length, quickly dismissing Ben Higgins (65), Graham Manou (2) and Peter McIntyre (4) to have his team careering toward victory.

Pacemen Wright, who set the tone on the final day by removing Cameron Borgas (7) in just the third over, and Andrew Downton (1/37) also chimed in effectively in their respective spells. The other wicket taker, Shane Watson (1/31), meanwhile set the seal on a brilliant individual performance in the game with the penultimate scalp - that of Paul Rofe (7).

In a testament to the overall quality of the bowling, eight of the South Australians fell to catches behind the wicket. Only an attractive half-century stand between Higgins and Nathan Adcock (33), and some measured shot selection from Smith, delayed the inevitable.

A philosophical Blewett was left to rue a lost match, lost players (unavailability and injury forced them to pick a shadow of their best team here), and a season of lost opportunities for the Redbacks.

"We were totally outplayed right from day one," he said of the team's defeat.

"Sent in on a difficult wicket, they handled the conditions well … they batted well and then we put in two very ordinary performances with the bat."

"As a team, we just haven't played well enough this season. After Christmas, it has been really ordinary. Hopefully, we can sit back now and try and work out where we went wrong."

In the end, the poor weather working from west to east across Australia this week might have represented the biggest hurdle to Tasmania's win. But, in comparison to yesterday, the weather gods looked favourably upon the Bellerive Oval. The Tigers' path to victory proved equally clear.

© 2001 CricInfo Ltd