Ben Stokes to marry fiancée Clare Ratcliffe in 'divine and spiritual' ceremony
With Ashes 2017-18 round the corner and England players expected to leave for Australia on October 28, Stokes will not board the plane for now.
Brushing aside the late-night brawl that has been haunting him since the past 2 weeks, Ben Stokes is ready for the second innings. Stokes will return to the West Country in the coming weekend for his marriage with fianc e Clare Ratcliffe, in divine and spiritual ceremony. The couple is expected to tie the knot at the church of St Mary the Virgin, which is just across the road from Clare s widowed mother in East Brent. The wedding will take place on Saturday at noon. A reception would also be held, with over 400 guests expected at a four-star country house hotel and spa nearby Edingworth.
Clare has been excited since a month about the wedding, and had expressed the same through her Instagram account with the message reading, Four weeks today...I marry this man! The man wearing a Little Mermaid backpack!"
Last week, Stokes was seen celebrating his teammate Jason Roy s wedding at France, with other players such as Joe Root, Jos Buttler, among others. Clare brought down her 28th birthday in France during the same time. During his stay in France, Stokes was clearly seen wearing the bandage as he had injured his hand and broke his finger during the brawl.
Although Stokes attended Roy s wedding, he missed Buttler s stag in Amsterdam.
The last time Stokes ventured to West Country was to play the ODI against West Indies in Bristol, where the gruesome incident took place. Following the incident, Stokes was arrested by the police along with his teammate Alex Hales.
At the moment the police are still investigating the case. With Ashes 2017-18 round the corner and England players expected to leave for Australia on October 28; Stokes will not board the plane for now.
The incident has also put his financial security in doubt. Stokes might not be considered for the next Indian Premier League (IPL) season which netted him UK 1.7 million last year enough to buy his luxury home in Durham, as reported on Daily Mail. Also, his contract with bat and kit supplier New Balance, thought to be worth about UK 200,000 a year, is also under threat.
COMMENTS