Inspired by a brilliant display of pace bowling from Asim Butt, pre-tournament favourite Scotland has sounded a massive warning to its ICC Trophy rivals on the tournament's opening day here in Toronto. The Scots' win, by a margin of six wickets over Fiji at King City, was secured in less than three hours and with more than thirty-six overs to spare.

Left armer Butt (5/11), a permanent fixture in the Scottish attack over recent years, set up the devastating win by snaring 4/1 in the space of ten deliveries. It was enough to rip the heart out of a Fijian order already unsettled by the sight of deliveries rearing wickedly off the pitch and the calamity of losing star batsman Neil Maxwell (2) to a disastrous run out in just the eleventh over.

So grave did matters become that the Fijians threatened to wipe away from the record books the lowest-ever score by a team in ICC Trophy competition - the highly unflattering mark of 26 made by East and Central Africa against the Netherlands in Kuala Lumpur in 1997. In the end, some brave strokeplay from Iniasi Cakacaka (12) helped them past that score but not far enough to avoid the ignominy of posting their own nation's smallest tally in ICCT competition.

Taione Batina (2/13) also extracted bounce when it (rapidly) came Fiji's turn to bowl, unsettling several members of the Scottish top order. Excellent pace was also generated by Maxwell but the attack never had vaguely enough runs available to defend. Emerging stars Drew Parsons (16*) and Douglas Lockhart (14) batted as well as anyone all day.

Canada also confirmed its status as one of the leading contenders in the competition with a tremendous all-round display in a nine-wicket victory over Singapore at the Toronto Cricket, Skating and Curling Club.

The Canadians' fielding and bowling was sufficiently solid to restrict Singapore to a modest 169 and was then complemented by controlled upper order batting. Opener Nick DeGroot (82*) was a standout, playing an innings full of rasping drives and exquisite cut strokes, albeit that he was the beneficiary of a major slice of fortune midway through his innings when a regulation catch was grassed at short mid wicket.

Young middle order batsman Josh Dearing (77) had earlier played a superb innings for Singapore, joining with Zubin Schroff (27) to stabilise the cause after a disappointing start.

It was a measure of how well he had played that Dearing's departure - to the highly effective medium pace of Sanjay Thuraisingham (2/20) - sparked the beginning of the end for the Singaporeans. The final seven wickets crashed for just 54 runs to end the innings three deliveries short of their full allotment. Barry Seebaran (2/24) chimed in well with his spinners for Canada.

A far more exciting finish came at Ross Lord, where Bermuda triumphed by two runs over a desperately unlucky Denmark. For as long as Morten Andersen (55) and Thomas Hansen (32) were together at the crease and assembling a superb partnership of 71 runs during the closing stages of the match, the Danes appeared to be in control. But a double bowling change with just three overs left to play yielded both wickets and tilted the odds, for the final time, in Bermuda's favour.

Before a respectably-sized crowd happy to offer plenty of verbal encouragement to both sides, Charlie Marshall (67) and Albert Steede (49) set the tone for Bermuda's score of 9/200 after it had been invited to bat first in muggy conditions. Marshall hit the ball beautifully, stroking eight fours and clubbing four sixes in a powerful exhibition.

Denmark's interests were also powerfully represented by Hansen (3/11), who bowled economically at both ends of the innings.

The Danes made a cautious beginning with the bat and fell well behind the required run rate consistently through the opening and middle stages of the innings. Andersen and Hansen reversed the situation to the point that only eight runs were needed off Herbie Bascombe's bowling from the final over.

Bascombe struck a crucial blow by trapping Andersen lbw with the opening delivery. To the horror of his teammates, a wide followed later in the over but the medium pacer held his nerve well enough to leave the batting team needing a boundary from the last ball to win or a three to tie. A beautifully aimed leg side yorker, the final ball crashed into nothing but pad and dribbled away through point. The batsmen set off immediately and, with nothing to lose, even attempted a second. The endeavour was, indeed, suicidal.

Scenes also spilled over into jubilation at a sun-baked Eglinton Flats ground, where Argentina clambered to a four-wicket success over Israel with only four deliveries remaining. The Division Two teams fought out a magnificent contest, and the advantage fluctuated consistently between them for most of the day.

In the end, it was a 55-run partnership at a crucial time between Paul Ferguson (38*) and Martin Cortabarria (36) which proved the difference. Sophisticated batting from the stylish Gaston Arizaga (57) at the top of the order was also invaluable, as was the bowling of Christ Tunon (4/41).

Earlier, Israel had punctuated an innings of fits-and-starts and occasionally disappointing running between the wickets with two excellent individual hands. The Melbourne-born David Silver (58) and Adrian Vard (38*) played a major role in lifting their team to its eventual tally of 8/190. Despite a solid overall bowling performance, it was nonetheless not quite enough to push their side over the finishing line in front.

By contrast, the Malaysia-France battle was lopsided from early in the piece. In the main, this was due to a brilliant stand between Malaysian opening batsmen Shankar Retinam (118) and Rakesh Madhavan (39) that foiled their rivals' gamble in taking the option to bowl first on a generally hard, true pitch.

There was only a small crowd on hand and few among them failed to be captivated by Retinam's batting. Madhavan's batting was less eye-catching but not significantly less influential on the destiny of the match. They each took advantage of undisciplined bowling - and an early dropped catch from which the former benefited strongly - in extremely competent fashion.

Around some accurate bowling from L Brumant (4/48), there were runs too for Marimuthu Muniandy (31) and a succession of useful contributions down the order. But, by this stage, France had already all but conceded the match.

In warm and humid conditions, they struggled with their line and length, bowling on both sides of the pitch and tending to drop the ball a little too short at times. Their batting later in the afternoon was plucky and, in finishing at 9/166, they lived up to their main aim by that point of seeing out their full fifty overs. The all-round talents of Brumant (30) again figured strongly.

© 2001 CricInfo Ltd