South Australia has surged to a powerful innings and 40 run win over a bruised and battered Tasmania on the fourth and final day of the teams' Pura Cup clash here in Hobart today.

After their batsmen completely outwitted the Tasmanian bowlers yesterday, it was the turn of a depleted attack today to impressively secure the Redbacks' first outright points of the season.

The home team was murdered one day and buried the next.

In skittling Tasmania for a paltry second innings total of 167, the South Australians defied the forecast of grim weather that never materialised and longstanding perceptions about the placid nature of Bellerive's pitch. Accordingly, they emphatically reversed the result of an equally crushing defeat in the corresponding match last season.

Darren Lehmann, the chief architect of the Redbacks' already powerful position by the end of the third day, declared his team's first innings closed at the mammoth overnight score of 5/589, leaving Tasmania with the exercise of accumulating 207 runs before the visitors would even be required to bat again

It was a task that quickly began to overwhelm them.

Opener Dene Hills, still nursing a strained abductor muscle from yesterday, was unable to bat as the Tigers' innings began.

Worse news was to come as their customary mainstay, Jamie Cox (0), fell to an lbw decision when playing well forward to Mark Harrity (5/65) on just the second delivery of the innings. Though it took a while longer for the second victim to succumb - makeshift opener Michael Dighton (15) failing to remove his gloves from the line of a delivery that steepled from a good length - it set an ominous tone.

On a day when the Tasmanian Cricket Association had thrown open its doors to the public to show off its new grandstand, its batsmen subscribed to a revolving door policy instead.

In taking each of the first four wickets to tumble and splitting the most meaningful partnership of the innings when he forced top scorer Shane Watson (58) to play a delivery back into the stumps, it was Harrity who instigated a stunning collapse that saw seven wickets crash for the addition of a mere 25 runs in mid-afternoon.

Harrity was an immensely promising left arm tearaway when he first entered first-class cricket in 1993-94, but his career has been stalled by a series of cruel injury blows in each of the eight seasons that have passed since. In the absence from the attack of Jason Gillespie on account of international duty, and the injured Paul Wilson, Brett Swain, Mick Miller, Ryan Harris and Greg Blewett, he chose a propitious time to rediscover some of his old fire today.

Paul Rofe (3/24) complemented Harrity with impeccable accuracy and similarly produced career-best figures, and spinner Brad Young (2/71) also snared two vital wickets amid Tasmania's crumble.

Though Watson and Daniel Marsh (31) stood firm with a 75-run stand for the third wicket, and last pair Sean Clingeleffer (28*) and Shane Jurgensen (7) defied the inevitable for a plucky 61 minutes, they were the only three bowlers needed.

"It's been a long time coming," said Harrity of his triumphant performance.

"I haven't managed to get through a full season in nine seasons so that's the main aim this year and hopefully to live up to what's been expected of me for nine years.

"Darren Lehmann turned the game for us (yesterday), along with Greg Blewett. It was some of the best batting I've ever seen. That put us all on a high and I went to bed last night thinking 'if we stick at it here today, you never know'."

What Harrity scarcely needed to add was that, throughout this match, his team far better understood the imperative of pitching the ball in the right areas on a pitch that offered consistent and sometimes menacing life.

Because, amid the ruin of the last two days, the message had already been etched firmly on Tasmania's tombstone.

© 2001 CricInfo Ltd