Spain, Portugal and the Isle of Man all got their tournament off to a winning start on Monday, with an even hundred for Spain's James Morgan the highlight of the first morning's play.

On the petite Ropa Valley No. 2 ground, Morgan hit eleven fours and five sixes, facing just 53 deliveries as he dominated an imposing Spanish total of 207 for six. Nobody else made more than 19, the score registered by both Christopher Muñoz-Mills and Talat Ali, while Tanvir Iqbal made 16 from just six deliveries at the end.

Richard Neale was the pick of the Luxembourg bowlers with three for 24 off three overs, while it was Nishith Gandhi who eventually ended Morgan's onslaught, having him caught behind by Graham Cope.

Luxembourg were always going to struggle against such a target, especially after James Barker was bowled by Talat Ali in the second over of their reply, but Joost Mees fought back with 30-ball knock of 40, and captain Tony Whiteman contributed an unbeaten 30 from 28 deliveries as his side battled their way to 137 for seven, losing by 70 runs.

Farhat Mahmood claimed three for 26 from his four overs for Spain.

The star bowler of the morning, however, was Portugal's Ricardo Pais, who took four for 15 – all clean bowled – and enabled his side to restrict Malta to a modest 124 for seven.

Bowling full and straight, Pais overcame a bout of illness in his third over, returning to bowl the final over of the innings and claim his third and fourth wickets.

Malta were given a great start by Nowell Khosla, who made a 39-ball 48 before he was caught at deep midwicket, almost inevitably by Pais, off the bowling of Zafar Ali, and who shared a valuable stand of 72 with Frankie Spiteri (24).

When Justin Brooke removed Nadeem Butt and Derek Ali accounted for Intesab Mehdi Portugal were on 30 for two in reply, and it seemed possible that the Maltese might succeed in defending their total, but Tariq Aziz and Rizwan Khaliq frustrated their hopes with an unbroken third-wicket stand of 96.

Khosla kept things tight towards the end with a couple of tidy overs but Portugal had overs in hand, and Aziz finished it in the 18th over with successive boundaries which also brought up a splendid personal half-century. He ended on 55 not out, made from 56 deliveries with five fours, while Khaliq made 42 from 34 with six boundaries.

The closest game of the morning session was at Messonghi, where the Isle of Man beat Cyprus by just 19 runs.

The Manx got off to a great start with an opening stand of 94 between Max Stokoe and Gareth Morris, which was ended when Gurbhej Singh removed the latter for 43, made from 37 deliveries, with two fours and three sixes.

Stokoe was more circumspect, his 42 coming from 53 balls with five fours and a six, while his brother Alex and Oliver Webster pushed the total up to 166 for three with a 50-run stand for the fourth wicket, both remaining unbeaten on 28, from 13 and 11 deliveries respectively.

Syed Hussain gave Cyprus a magnificent start with 51, hitting four fours and five sixes and facing just 27 balls as he scored all but 11 of his side's first 62 runs. Once he went, stumped by Daniel Kniveton off Alex Stokoe's bowling, Muhammad Mohsin carried on the attack with a 17-ball cameo of 26, but after that the Cypriot challenge faltered, and with Alex Stokoe claiming three for 33 they ended on 147 for eight.

Problems with the non-arrival of a great of their kit meant that Finland's Monday matches, against Hellas at the Marina ground and Croatia at Messonghi, were postponed, with just three matches now taking place in both Monday sessions.