Excitement surged during the 2023 Guangzhou-Hong Kong-Macao Youth baseball Invitational Tournament, which took place on Nov 11-12 at the Tianhe Sports Center – in the Tianhe district of Guangzhou, capital of South China's Guangdong province.

The event featured four teams and 110 players from the three places who participated in the Under 12 and U15 groups.

After a fierce bout of competition, the Guangzhou team won the championships of both groups.

A player swings at a ball during the competition. [Photo by Sun Jiahun/Guangzhou Daily]

"Playing against the Guangzhou and Macao teams was a good opportunity for us to learn about their strengths and skills," said Huang Shihua from the Baseball Association of Hong Kong.

A representative of the Baseball Association of Macao also noted that participating in the competition brought them valuable experience. "We look forwards to competing here again," he said.

A keen player steps up to compete. [Photo/Guangzhou Daily]

Guangzhou has a long history of playing baseball. As early as July 1986, the Guangzhou Baseball Team, representing the national junior team, claimed the title at the second World Soft Baseball Game – winning all the exchange matches the same year with New York, Washington DC, Los Angeles and Hawaii.

The baseball field at the Tianhe Sports Center opened in June 1990, becoming the earliest professional field open to the public in Guangdong province. Since then, it's hosted many big games, including the baseball and softball events of the sixth and 16th National Games.