From England test victory over Black Caps to 1am punch: How the Ben Stokes ‘nightclub incident’ unfolded

Wednesday, 10 June 2026

Shortly after England wrapped up a speedy Test win over New Zealand at Lord’s last weekend, a downbeat Ben Stokes told the media: “I probably won't be real happy and smiling until I share a proper beer with the boys.”

That was at 12.40pm on Sunday (UK time). About 12 hours after that, Stokes went to a London nightclub on the King's Road in what may be remembered as his final act as England captain.

The team's post-match celebrations began in the home dressing room at Lord's. Players can invite guests to join them for a drink and something to eat, and it is customary for families and friends to do so. Because England's victory came before lunch on the fourth day of what was scheduled to be a five-day Test, MCC allowed spectators on to the outfield afterwards.

Players and their guests remained at Lord's until late afternoon before heading to west London and the team hotel, the Royal Garden Hotel in Kensington. The drinking continued for many of them over dinner, after which some of the players and their families remained at the hotel and others began journeys home. The second Test, at the Oval, begins next Wednesday (10pm NZT).

At about 8.30pm a group of seven players, including Stokes and Gus Atkinson - the other player involved in the nightclub incident and accused of breaking the team's midnight curfew - went to nearby Parsons Green to drink at the White Horse pub, known locally as “the Sloaney Pony”.

It was there that the England cricketers met up with Saracens players who had spent the afternoon on a pub crawl around Hammersmith and Fulham. About 20 of them, who were marking the end of their season, had been in the Sloaney Pony since 5pm.

Several of the England players from both sports know each other, so the two groups - which included Maro Itoje and Joe Root as well as Stokes and Atkinson - drank together. Ben Earl, the England back-row forward, was part of the Saracens group.

A barman at the pub said Stokes - whose 35th birthday fell on the first day of the Test - drank rum and coke, and that the cricketers spent two hours there before leaving, at closing time, alongside the rugby players in taxis.

“They were all chatting and were super nice. From the way they were talking I assumed they must have known each other. They were all drinking but they weren't causing any trouble at all,” he said. When the barman asked them all to leave at closing time, he said they “made no fuss at all and didn't have to be asked twice”, adding: “They were just a nice bunch of guys.”

Most of the England cricketers who had been out had gone back to the hotel in Kensington well before the midnight curfew that was introduced after it emerged in January that Harry Brook was punched by a nightclub bouncer the night before a limited-overs match in Wellington on November 1.

Stokes, Atkinson and some of the Saracens group, however, took cabs to the Rex Rooms nightclub on the King's Road. The England cricket pair were with a member of ECB security staff, and along with some Saracens players they were taken to a VIP area of the club. It was in that area, after more drinks, that the altercation took place at about 1am. It is unclear what prompted the flashpoint but it is understood that a punch was thrown by the Saracens academy player Totoa Auvaa, a 21-year-old who has captained Samoa Under-20 but has yet to make a senior appearance for the club. It appeared to be aimed in Atkinson's direction but instead struck the ECB security man.

Those close to the cricketers insist they were not the aggressors, but it is not clear yet how much of a melee ensued. After the trouble was broken up, the two England cricketers and their minder left the venue. Stokes returned to the hotel in Kensington but it is believed that Atkinson, who lives in Chelsea, went home. The police were not involved and neither Stokes nor Atkinson were injured.

The presence of the ECB security guard has prompted some observers to ask why the players were allowed to be out past their curfew, but it is understood that the security staff are often briefed that they should not give players orders, or indeed report them for minor offences, on the basis that if they did so the players might seek to go out at night in secret.

Stokes and the other England players who had stayed the night at the Royal Garden Hotel left on Monday morning. Just after 6pm came the heaviest hangover: the ECB said Stokes and Atkinson were being investigated for what it called a breach of team protocols.

– The Times, London