It was a great weekend of curling for Neepawa and a record-breaking finals for Jeff Stoughton. Facing Sean Grassie's foursome in the finals Sunday afternoon, Stoughton and his rink of Jon Mead, Reid Carruthers and Mark Nichols jumped out to a 3-0 lead after the first two ends. Then, with the score at 5-4 in Stoughton's favour, the skip hit a tough double takeout in the ninth end to score two points, clinch a 7-4 win and claim the 2013 Safeway Championship. Grassie had beaten Stoughton the night before off his own great takeout/raise shot to score two points in the tenth end of that game to win 6-5. Stoughton defeated Mike McEwen 5-3 in the semi-final match, while the defending champion Rob Fowler was eliminated by McEwen a round earlier by an 8-1 score. It's a record tenth championship for Stoughton, something the 49-year-old said hasn't sunk in yet but likely will in the future. “I guess when I retire or stop playing competitively, then I think it's going to be very significant, but it's just a thrill to get back to the Brier,” Stoughton said following the game, adding of his tough shot in the ninth end, “It worked out great and that's the game.” It was also an exciting week for local curling fans who not only got to see the province's top talent, but were also given some great games by Neepawa's Jerry Chudley and Kelly Robertson who both ended up losing out in the B-Side semi-finals Friday afternoon, only two wins short of qualifying to the playoff round. “They had an excellent showing. Robertson and Chudley both have two good local rinks who not only gave our fans some great games, they brought extra fans out to the rink,” Championship chair Ray Drayson said Monday morning. “And they're not that far away from being there, in that playoff round.” While numbers aren't expected to be counted until Tuesday night, Friday's evening draw is believed to have been the biggest draw of the Championship with between 800-1,000 people in attendance. Over 240 people volunteered for the event from both Neepawa and area. NAC-TV, who was broadcasting the games until Sportsnet took over Saturday evening, reported great viewership. The event's calcutta also raised $20,000, about 14 per cent – or around $2,800 - of which will go toward the Yellowhead Rink and Neepawa Curling Club.