Singapore's 21-and-Under netball team started their campaign at the World Youth Netball Championship in Glasgow brightly, beating Papua New Guinea 54-39 early Saturday morning.

Despite a nervous start, the Republic kept a lead from start to end as they trounced the Pacific Islanders.

Said coach Joanne Loo: "I'm very happy with that result. They stuck to the game plan of keeping this short and sharp and they looked to enjoy their time on court, which always helps them play well."

Co-captain Shelby Koh added: "We were always expecting a tough match and they made us fight for our win so I am really proud of the girls' performance."

Singapore will face an uphill battle against powerhouses England - the third-ranked team in the tournament - early Sunday morning.

Said Loo: "We will use tomorrow's match as preparation for the remaining matches in the group stage, which will be close ones for us. It will be a real challenge but we'll give it our all and it is a chance to give more of the team some court time."

Singapore are also in the same group as Barbados and the Republic of Ireland.