Rugby player at centre of Ben Stokes and Gus Atkinson nightclub 'incident' named
The rugby union player at the centre of a nightclub 'incident' involving England Test captain Ben Stokes and fast bowler Gus Atkinson has been named.
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) announced on Monday evening that Stokes and Atkinson were being investigated over a 'breach of team protocol' following an incident at a nightclub after England's first Test win over New Zealand at Lord's.
While the ECB did not provide further information, more details have emerged in the hours since their statement.
READ MORE: Ben Stokes and Gus Atkinson investigated by ECB over nightclub 'incident' as statement issued
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The Telegraph reported Stokes and Atkinson were at a Chelsea nightclub at the same time as the Saracens rugby union team, who were hosting their end-of-season celebration.
One of the Saracens playing contingent is said to have 'thrown a punch' at Surrey bowler Atkinson, but is understood have to connected with an ECB security guard instead.
The incident happened in the early hours of Monday morning, with England bosses having recently introduced a midnight curfew for players following several controversies before and during the recent Ashes tour of Australia.
ESPNcricinfo report that Stokes is 'considering his future as England captain' in the wake of the incident.
The rugby union player who is alleged to have thrown a punch at Atkinson has been named by The Telegraph as Saracens academy star Totaa Auvaa.
Auvaa is yet to debut for Saracens' senior side but has played in the second tier of English rugby union, and has captained the Samoa U20 and A sides at international level.
Shortly following the ECB's statement, Saracens said: "We are aware of an incident involving an academy player connected to Saracens on Sunday evening.
"The club is currently establishing the full facts and is in contact with the relevant authorities and individuals involved.
"Once this process is complete, the matter will be reviewed and addressed appropriately.
"We will make no further comment at this time."
Who will captain England if Stokes is unavailable?
Should Stokes play no part in the second Test against New Zealand, which takes place at The Oval from June 17, vice-captain Harry Brook is the leading contender to take over the captaincy.
Brook is also England's white-ball captain, and earned acclaim for his on-field decision-making at the recent T20 World Cup, where England reached the semi-finals before losing to India in a high-scoring contest.
Brook had an altercation with a nightclub bouncer in Wellington during England's white-ball series against New Zealand last November.
He self-reported the incident to ECB officials, including director of cricket Rob Key, and the story was released by the media during the fifth and final Ashes Test in January.
Brook was fined £30,000 and warned about his future conduct, and apologised.
Having initially stated that he was on his own, Brook released a further statement at the end of January acknowledging that 'others were present that evening'.
"I regret my previous comments and my intention was to protect my team-mates from being drawn into a situation that arose as a result of my own decisions," he said.
"I have apologised and will continue to reflect on the matter. This has been a challenging period in my career, but one from which I am learning.
"I recognise I have more to learn regarding the off-field responsibilities that come with leadership and captaincy. I remain committed to developing in this area and to improving both personally and professionally."
Topics: Ben Stokes, England, Cricket
Ryan Smart