Ben Stokes was downing double rum and cokes with England rugby captain Maro Itoje in the hours before he was caught up in a late night punch-up with another rugby player.
The England cricket star and team-mate Gus Atkinson were mingling with England rugby internationals at the White Horse in Parsons Green, south-west London on Sunday evening as they celebrated their first Test win over New Zealand.
But hours later a brawl over tables in the VIP area of the club broke out at Rex Rooms in Chelsea. The venue is open until 3.30am and has been described as ‘Chelsea’s naughtiest night club’.
Saracens player Totoa Auvua, 21, is thought to have aimed a punch at Atkinson, which instead injured an England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) security guard supervising the two stars, with a melee ensuing. Stokes and Atkinson are understood to be unhurt.
It was understood to have been sparked by a disagreement over tables in a VIP area of the club.
Saracens on Monday night confirmed they are aware of an incident involving one of their players. Daily Mail Sport understands the altercation was not instigated by the two cricketers, who were out drinking near England’s Kensington hotel.
Ben Stokes and Gus Atkinson were partying with England rugby stars before becoming involved in a nightclub fracas
The England captain was downing double rum and cokes at the White Horse pub in Fulham
Stokes, 35, arrived at the pub in south-west London at around 9pm, where bar staff said he already appeared ‘tipsy’.
He hovered by the bar, ordering ‘enormous’ rounds including ‘plenty’ of double rum and cokes at up to £25 each, before leaving at 11pm.
England cricketers including Stokes and Atkinson were seen in discussion with rugby stars Itoje, Ben Earl and Jamie George.
Daily Mail Sport understands that there is a friendliness between the two camps, with George founding the nearby Boundary pub with a number of former England cricket stars, and Earl an old friend of Zak Crawley.
Pub staff said the cricketers were hovering by the bar while rugby players stuck to their tables on the other side of the venue.
But they eventually merged groups and were heard discussing their respective tours to Australia, before Saracens stars left the White Horse at closing time to head to Rex Rooms.
Stokes was seen having a long conversation with George which appeared ‘very friendly’, a staff member said.
The pub, where pints cost up to £8.50, was very busy on Sunday because of the Polo in the Park event at the nearby Hurlingham Park.
Stokes was previously suspended by England after a violent incident outside a Bristol nightclub which was captured on video resulted in him being charged with affray.
That led to him missing the Ashes tour of 2017-18 but he was later cleared of the charge when the case reached court the following summer when it emerged he had been acting in defence of two gay men who had been subject to homophobic abuse.
21-year-old Saracens star Totoa Auvaa, the player involved, weighs 125kg and is 6ft5
The Rex Rooms venue on the King’s Road is known as ‘the naughtiest nightclub in Chelsea’
Neither Atkinson nor Stokes are expected to be named in England’s squad for The Oval next week while an investigation takes place, meaning that Harry Brook – himself the subject of a late-night probe that saw him fined £30,000 and given an official reprimand – will lead the team.
‘The ECB is currently investigating a breach of team protocols following the conclusion of the first men’s Test against New Zealand,’ read a statement from the governing body.
‘Ben Stokes and Gus Atkinson were present at a nightclub in the early hours of Monday morning when an incident took place.
‘We are currently seeking further information, and an announcement regarding the squad for the second Test will be made in due course.
‘The Cricket Regulator has been informed and we will provide a further update when possible.’
The regulator is an independent body that looks into cases of misconduct and will look into their behaviour in the aftermath of England’s 115-run victory over the Kiwis at Lord’s in which Atkinson bagged match figures of seven for 39.
But it is the worst possible news for a governing body desperate to clean up the image of an England team defeated 4-1 by Australia on an Ashes tour that followed Brook being punched by a Wellington night spot bouncer and featured a boozy mid-series break for the squad in Noosa likened to a stag do.
A late night video of Ben Duckett in the Queensland resort was posted on social media, with the opener appearing to be intoxicated.
The ECB’s men’s director of cricket Rob Key investigated the time in Noosa, but denied the team had a drinking culture.
But it later emerged that Brook had been investigated for being out late on the night of Halloween – hours before a one-day international defeat to New Zealand.
