Now the real test of bowling begins.

The 46th annual Kenosha News Match Game Bowling Tournament begins finals week at 6:30 tonight with the opening eight matches of the Senior Men’s Division at Surfside Bowl. The Women and Super Senior Men get under way on Monday. The Men’s Division starts on Tuesday.

Tom Ruffalo enters tonight’s competition with the top qualifying score. Ruffalo turned in an eight-game score of 1,906 pins (238 average) on the first night of qualifying last Monday. The nearest qualifier was Gary Wolf’s 1,867 (233 average).

But the top qualifying score becomes meaningless when the clock hits 6:30 p.m. The slate is wiped clean for the finals and a point system is put in place. Each bowler receives 30 points for each match victory and plus/minus one point for each pin over/under 200 each game. The highest point total after two days and 16 matches joins the “Roll Call of Champions.”

Last year, Steve Stone held off Mike Mockus and Jerry Streich for the Senior Men’s Division crown at Sheridan Lanes. Stone, the 1971 Men’s Champion as well, begins his title defense tonight after turning in the seventh-best qualifying score of 1,823 (228 average).

Tom Kaddatz, who was dethroned by Stone after back-to-back titles in 2006 and 2007, also is in the field of 16. Kaddatz won his first News crown in his first year of eligibility three years ago in a dominating performance at Surfside and has been a force in the Senior Men’s Division ever since.

Jerry Elsen (1,862), Jim Gentile (1,782) and Jerry Martin (1,780) look to carry over the momentum on a short turnaround after qualifying for the field on Friday night.