Bendigo and the Hawks will meet for the premiership at South Bendigo from 9.30am on Friday.

Bendigo will go into the grand final as favourites having not only finished on top of the ladder, but defeated Eaglehawk by margins of 25, 5 and 7 shots in their three encounters this season.

It has been a huge turnaround by Bendigo this season after winning just three games and finishing seventh last season, with the side having been led by skippers Lee Harris, Sharon Koch and Vicki Greenwood.

Eaglehawk - to be skipped by Irene Godkin, Kaye Rowe and Jan Robertson - will be striving to break a 55-year premiership drought having not won a division one flag since 1967.

GRAND FINAL TEAMS:

Bendigo - Kini Meadows, Val White, Allan Gribble, Vicki Greenwood (s); George McQualter, Jan Ovenden, Bruce Morely, Lee Harris (s); Michael Foord, Margaret Bennet, Mark Anderson, Sharon Koch (s).

Eaglehawk - Wayne Wilkins, Pamela Joy Hughes, Leigh Robertson, Jan Robertson (s); Ray Rowe, Jennifer O'Shea, Stephen Piercy, Kaye Rowe (s); John Carter, Beverly Haw, Phil Godkin, Irene Godkin (s).

Meanwhile, the midweek pennant grand final action was due to get under way on Thursday with division two to five games being played at Golden Square.

However, conditions were too wet for the games to go ahead, with all four to be played on Friday at Golden Square from midday.

GRAND FINALS:

DIVISION 1

Bendigo v Eaglehawk.

DIVISION 2

South Bendigo v Bendigo East.

DIVISION 3

Harcourt v Eaglehawk.

DIVISION 4

Strathfieldsaye v South Bendigo.

DIVISION 5

Inglewood v Harcourt.

THE annual Bendigo Country Week lawn bowls tournament will feature an exhibition game between international players Alex Marshall and David Holt.

Marshall and Holt will go head-to-head at the Bendigo Bowls Club from 6pm next Monday as part of the club's Henselite Day.

Scotsman Marshall is a five-time Commonwealth Games gold medallist (pairs in 2002, 2006 and 2014 and fours in 2014 and 2018).

Holt is also a Commonwealth Games gold medallist having won the fours in 2002 in Manchester.

As well as the exhibition game between Marshall and Holt there will also be giveaways and bowls demonstrations.

More than 700 players from across Victoria, as well as some from South Australia and New South Wales, will converge on Bendigo for next week's Country Week tournament.

SCHEDULE:

PAIRS:

3 sectional games Monday; 2 sectional games Tuesday; finals to be played Tuesday and Wednesday night.

FOURS:

3 sectional games Monday; 2 sectional games Thursday; finals to be played Thursday night.

Games throughout the week will be played at the Bendigo, South Bendigo, Bendigo East and Eaglehawk bowling clubs.

There will be $9000 in prize money up for grabs during the tournament.

Bendigo Country Week has now been running for more than 50 years.

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can access our trusted content: