Nick Fullwood's enduring claim to fame is that he is the last British player to have pre-qualified for the main draw at Wimbledon. That was in 1989. Last night he performed more heroics by beating top seed and compatriot Nick Weal in the second round of the Carlsberg Irish Open championships at a blustery Templeogue.

It was like a breath of fresh air to hear the courteous Fullwood sympathise with his opponent's bad luck on a night of tempestuous conditions. "Nick (Weal) had his strengths taken from him by the windy conditions. If we were to play again tomorrow there would be no guarantee of what may happen," he said.

Fullwood, seeded ninth and a previous winner four years ago, insisted that Weal's forehand and serve were damaged by the conditions. "I adapted better on the night and acted more cautiously. That was the big difference."

Colin Beecher, the number two seed, was given a testing time by Irish junior Stephen Taylor before winning on a court that was, fortunately, hidden from the main gallery.

The code of conduct was ignored all too frequently here. The trend was in complete contrast to the dignified approach that marked the Fullwood-Weal encounter.

Taylor can derive huge satisfaction from his performance, if not from his court demeanour. Defeat by a margin of 5-7, 6-7 against a player with Wimbledon experience should have been the source of considerable satisfaction for the junior qualifier from Sutton. Instead, the opposite seemed to be the case and hostilities were pronounced when it came to shaking hands at the net.

A questionable "let" brought the clash between Australians Ashley Naumann, seeded 10th, and Rob Tucker (third) to a standstill. A lengthy argument ensued with referee Steve Mehigan on court. Naumann eventually won 6-4, 6-1.

John Doran, who has bitter memories of this event last year when he was defaulted and subsequently suspended for poor behaviour, lost the opening set to big server Sean Cooper but got back on track for a convincing win.