THE little breezes that blow through time can make as big an impact as hurricanes. When, 200 years ago, a drunken wager between two British officers gave Dubliners their first taste of cricket, they could never have dreamed where it would lead; the latest location to be stirred by that breeze is a concrete cauldron in the Caribbean. Another zephyr blew a young Aussie tearaway into the arms of a woman from Castlecomer, county Kilkenny, and yet another took him past the ground in Portlaoise where he first discovered they played cricket in Ireland.

That's nearly 10-years ago now. On Thursday that heavy metal fan from Sydney, Jeremy Bray, blew a gale through the world of cricket as his unbeaten 115 drove Ireland on to a thrilling tie with Zimbabwe. That game, like the 1792 showdown in the Phoenix Park, marks a beginning. The baking sun of Sabina Park saw Ireland take its place among the cricketing nations of the earth. But this team is not here for fun - taking part is for kids; this is hard, professional sport.

They certainly won much praise for their efforts on Thursday. Pakistan captain Inzamam ul-Haq was impressed by the team. "Ireland are a very fine, professional side, " he told the Sunday Tribune.

"Most of the players play county cricket and they are very good at it. They put Zimbabwe under pressure and the way they played at the end just showed how much professionalism they had."

Jeremy Bray woke to the sound of an alarm clock at 6am in his room on the 11th floor of the Pegasus Hotel. He had slept well and after a quick breakfast of fish, eggs and plenty of coffee he joined his teammates on the coach. At 7am Llaurence Whyte pulled the bus out of the car park and pointed it towards Sabina Park. "The journey to the ground was very quiet, " said Ireland team manager Roy Torrens. "There's usually a bit of banter, a bit of craic, but the lads were all focusing on the game."

Torrens flicked through the messages wishing the team good luck, and passed the fax with the harp on it along to the players. Bertie Ahern hasn't got around to watching the Irish team play yet, but a few more good performances and he'll be out to Castle Avenue in April. Pulling into Sabina at 7.15, Bray spent half-an-hour chilling out, getting used to the dressing room in the spanking new grandstand. Out on the park he went through a few loosening drills with physio Iain Knox, all the time drinking plenty of water. Hydration was going to be important.

Once the toss was lost and he knew he would start the day with a bat in his hand, he started his pre-match routine. At 9.28am he joined William Porterfield and they walked down the 36 carpeted steps of the North Stand and out into the middle of Sabina, side by side. The younger man wanted to face the first ball so Bray walked 22 yards further towards the George Headley Stand where the bulk of the Irish fans had gathered. His last words to Will had been, "It's just another game, " but he never got to say anything else as Christopher Mpofu's sixth ball rattled the edge of Porterfield's bat and, after pinballing around the cordon, ended up in second slip's hands.

Joined by Eoin Morgan, he settled down quickly. One of Bray's favourite shots is a bloodthirsty carve through backward point and he enjoyed unveiling it in front of a television audience of millions. His high follow-through ushered successive balls off Edward Rainsford into the fence for four and six. Morgan made 21 before being dismissed and, as wickets continued to fall at the other end, Bray stayed resolute. He was lucky to escape an lbw shout but it was a rare rub of the green on a day when few 50-50s went Ireland's way.

He hits the ball very hard, and even though rain had slowed down the outfield he was able to drill 10 fours and two sixes. With the exception of one thick edge over slip, the ball never left the middle of his bat all day. He enjoyed the lively atmosphere produced by the Irish and local fans, and was shocked at one stage to hear the party stand singing his old school song. Among the revelers he was delighted to recognise an old pal, Adrian Raftery. He spotted the black-and-amber of his adopted Kilkenny, too, and smiled again.

His old mate Dave Langford-Smith was with him when the scoreboard flashed his name in three-foot high letters beside the number 103. "I thought Trent might have been there but he got out just before. It was great to have Dave there though. He was more delighted than I was." With 221 on the board, he was grabbed on the way back to the pavilion for some instant reaction for the world audience. He spent the interval taking on fluids but felt good, the long hours of fitness work standing to him.

The heat finally took its toll though. As Zimbabwe began to self-destruct, Bray started to feel the exertions of his long day. Paul Mooney ran around the boundary to pass him bananas and to encourage him to drink water. With his job done, it would have been the easiest thing in the world for him to put his hand on his hamstring and walk towards the pavilion, allowing a fresh pair of legs to join the battle. But he wanted to be there for the end.

When the extraordinary game finished in a tie, Bray lined up with the rest for the presentations, collecting the Man-of-the-Match award before being hauled away for more interviews. "That was the only disappointing thing, missing the dressing room after the game."

At the media centre he sat alongside Trent Johnston and Adrian Birrell as the world's press tried to make sense of these cricketing newbies. The loquacious captain did most of the talking, but Bray was happy to sit with a grin that could have knocked his baseball cap off. When the predictable question about celebrations came along, he was still hitting it with the middle of his bat. "When you're my age the body takes a bit longer to recover. I'll just have a couple of beers."

He's a phlegmatic sort of man, long enough playing sport to treat the two imposters of triumph and disaster with the same degree of respect. "I try not to get emotional. It affects your game if you get too excited."

The return journey from the ground was a lot noisier than the outward trip. Paul Mooney organised a CD of Irish songs, but the rendition of Bob Marley's 'One Love' was "a beautiful moment, " according to Llaurence. Back at the hotel he felt the exhaustion creep up further. He downed a pizza and those couple of beers before heading to bed. He dozed off about 11 but found it hard to sleep with elbow and shoulder injuries flaring up. He woke again at 1am and read the dozens of texts he had received and watched the highlights again.

His new status as a World Cup centurion meant he was big news in his native city and he took a call from Sydney Radio for a live interview. Remembering his roots and hearing friendly Aussie voices killed the pain and he fell asleep about 5am, leaving just over 24 hours before the whole cycle would start again. Like a hurricane.