The game see-sawed for the next 20 minutes of the second half until Ōhaupō scored again, reserve halfback Scott Thomas charging down a Surf kick and running down the field to cross the chalk. Brother Josh added the conversion.
Surf responded with an unconverted try but after various penalties, the score remained the same with Ōhaupō taking the win 19-15 and maintaining their top-of-the-table spot.
Ōhaupō flanker Trent Sargent was awarded man of the match.
Earlier in the afternoon Ōhaupō B faced off with with Surf Classics - a vast improvement on their 2022 clash.
Not a dead rubber match this time around, Ōhaupō tried hard to get among the scoring and showed much improvement but were rewarded with just one try and a conversion to reserve playmaker Sheldon Seeley.
With drizzle all the way through the B teams’ match, there was also a northwest wind from left to right, which was annoying for the kickers.
The Surf Classics side got on the scoreboard after 11 minutes with the first of their five first-half tries.
Halftime saw the home side up 29-0.
After halftime, the weather remained the same, and the wind eased slightly but was not really of any detriment to the game or to the spectators.
The field remained amazingly solid and resistant to scrums and the turf remained unruffled.
Surf continued their dominance, running in four more tries before Seeley crossed the chalk from a good follow-through after a kick with four minutes to play and converting his own try.
Surf managed a further try on fulltime, grabbing their first win of the season 54-7.
This week the Ōhaupō senior sides will host Suburbs at Ōhaupō Memorial Park.
