College students from Taiwan and Hainan battle it out in woodball

Twenty college students from Taiwan joined their peers from Hainan province in a woodball competition held at Hainan University from June 25 to 26.

The sport of woodball is inspired by golf-based stroke play. It can be played individually or in teams using wooden mallets, instead of clubs, to hit a wooden ball through narrow gates. It originated in Taiwan in the 1990s and now the sport is played widely in Japan, Thailand, and Malaysia.

The competition covered men's team and single, women's team and single, as well as mixed doubles events.

The woodball competition kicks off on June 25 at Hainan University. [Photo/chinanews.com]

Woodball is very popular in Taiwan. However, people in the Chinese mainland barely know about it, said Weng Minghui, inventor of the game and also the leader of the Taiwan team.

Weng said he hoped that the activity can boost exchanges between woodball lovers in Hainan and Taiwan, as well as further people-to-people bonds. 　　　

"Through the matches, the players can learn from each other and get improvements in both skills and the psychological aspects of the sport," said Wang Xiaoqing, coach of Hainan University's woodball team.

College students from Hainan and Taiwan sharpen off their woodball skills at the event. [Photo/chinanews.com]

Students compete against each other in a variety of woodball events. [Photo/chinanews.com]