England cricketer Ben Stokes marries

Sports Desk: Cricketer Ben Stokes put his recent troubles behind him as he married his fiancee Clare Ratcliffe today.

Surrounded by England teammates past and present, Stokes and his groomsmen arrived at the church in grey suits to witness his wedding to Miss Ratcliffe, the mother of his two children.

Among the guests at the church, close to where Ms Ratcliffe's mother lives, were current England Test captain Joe Root, former captain Alistair Cook, fast bowler Stuart Broad and Durham colleague Paul Collingwood.

Guests sang hymns including Jerusalem during the 40-minute service.

There were loud cheers from friend and family at the end of the ceremony and the newly married couple posed for pictures and kissed outside the church.

The couple got engaged in 2013, soon after the death of her father, Arthur.

More than 300 family and friends are expected to celebrate afterwards with them at a luxury hotel in nearby Edingworth.

His wedding comes just a month after his arrest over a nightclub brawl in Bristol.

The only reminder of the alleged altercation was a bandage wrapped around his right hand, which he removed just minutes before the ceremony.

The England all-rounder is still under investigation for causing actual bodily harm following the incident.

On September 26, when he and his teammates were out celebrating England's win against the West Indies, a fight broke out outside a nightclub in Bristol which led to Stokes' arrest.

As a result of the incident he was told he will not be travelling with England for their Ashes tour of Australia in a few weeks.

Source: telegraph.co.uk



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