Ben Stokes was downing double rum and cokes with England rugby captain Maro Itoje within the hours earlier than he was caught up in a late evening punch-up with one other rugby participant.
The England cricket star and team-mate Gus Atkinson have been mingling with England rugby internationals on the White Horse in Parsons Inexperienced, south-west London on Sunday night as they celebrated their first Take a look at win over New Zealand.
However hours later a brawl over tables within the VIP space of the membership broke out at Rex Rooms in Chelsea. The venue is open till 3.30am and has been described as ‘Chelsea’s naughtiest evening membership’.
Saracens participant Totoa Auvua, 21, is assumed to have aimed a punch at Atkinson, which as an alternative injured an England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) safety guard supervising the 2 stars, with a melee ensuing. Stokes and Atkinson are understood to be unharmed.
It was understood to have been sparked by a disagreement over tables in a VIP space of the membership.
Saracens on Monday evening confirmed they’re conscious of an incident involving certainly one of their gamers. Every day Mail Sport understands the altercation was not instigated by the 2 cricketers, who have been out consuming close to England’s Kensington resort.
Ben Stokes and Gus Atkinson have been partying with England rugby stars earlier than changing into concerned in a nightclub fracas
The England captain was downing double rum and cokes on the White Horse pub in Fulham
Stokes, 35, arrived on the pub in south-west London at round 9pm, the place bar employees mentioned he already appeared ‘tipsy’.
He hovered by the bar, ordering ‘monumental’ rounds together with ‘loads’ of double rum and cokes at as much as £25 every, earlier than leaving at 11pm.
England cricketers together with Stokes and Atkinson have been seen in dialogue with rugby stars Itoje, Ben Earl and Jamie George.
Every day Mail Sport understands that there’s a friendliness between the 2 camps, with George founding the close by Boundary pub with numerous former England cricket stars, and Earl an previous buddy of Zak Crawley.
Pub employees mentioned the cricketers have been hovering by the bar whereas rugby gamers caught to their tables on the opposite aspect of the venue.
However they ultimately merged teams and have been heard discussing their respective excursions to Australia, earlier than Saracens stars left the White Horse at closing time to move to Rex Rooms.
Stokes was seen having an extended dialog with George which appeared ‘very pleasant’, a employees member mentioned.
The pub, the place pints price as much as £8.50, was very busy on Sunday due to the Polo within the Park occasion on the close by Hurlingham Park.
Stokes was beforehand suspended by England after a violent incident exterior a Bristol nightclub which was captured on video resulted in him being charged with affray.
That led to him lacking the Ashes tour of 2017-18 however he was later cleared of the cost when the case reached court docket the next summer time when it emerged he had been appearing in defence of two homosexual males who had been topic to homophobic abuse.
21-year-old Saracens star Totoa Auvaa, the participant concerned, weighs 125kg and is 6ft5
The Rex Rooms venue on the King’s Highway is called ‘the naughtiest nightclub in Chelsea’
Neither Atkinson nor Stokes are anticipated to be named in England’s squad for The Oval subsequent week whereas an investigation takes place, which means that Harry Brook – himself the topic of a late-night probe that noticed him fined £30,000 and given an official reprimand – will lead the crew.
‘The ECB is presently investigating a breach of crew protocols following the conclusion of the primary males’s Take a look at in opposition to New Zealand,’ learn a press release from the governing physique.
‘Ben Stokes and Gus Atkinson have been current at a nightclub within the early hours of Monday morning when an incident came about.
‘We’re presently searching for additional data, and an announcement concerning the squad for the second Take a look at shall be made in the end.
‘The Cricket Regulator has been knowledgeable and we are going to present an additional replace when potential.’
The regulator is an unbiased physique that appears into circumstances of misconduct and can look into their behaviour within the aftermath of England’s 115-run victory over the Kiwis at Lord’s during which Atkinson bagged match figures of seven for 39.
However it’s the worst potential information for a governing physique determined to scrub up the picture of an England crew defeated 4-1 by Australia on an Ashes tour that adopted Brook being punched by a Wellington evening spot bouncer and featured a boozy mid-series break for the squad in Noosa likened to a stag do.
Every day Mail Sport reported solely on Tuesday that after breaking the crew’s curfew on Monday morning, Stokes is known to be contemplating his worldwide future.
Stokes may nonetheless be banned for the remainder of the three-match collection in opposition to New Zealand, whereas Atkinson might face a much less extreme punishment – presumably a one-match ban, which might rule him out of the second Take a look at at The Oval, his dwelling floor, beginning on June 17.
One supply near the dressing-room described questions surrounding his future as ‘up within the air’. One other instructed Every day Mail Sport: ‘I don’t know if even he is aware of but what he needs to do.’
The temper at Lord’s stays unwavering after the newest drink-related incident to dominate English cricket’s headlines – not least as a result of Stokes himself was one of many architects, together with head coach Brendon McCullum and managing director Rob Key, of the curfew imposed after the disastrous tour of Australia. There may be indignant speak at HQ of the captain bringing the sport into disrepute.
Stokes, who turned 35 on the primary day of England’s 115-run win over New Zealand at Lord’s, should now resolve whether or not to pursue his ambition of regaining the Ashes when Australia go to subsequent summer time.
