Irving Romaine has said he will appeal a nine-month playing ban that could all but end his 23-year cricket career.Bermuda Cricket Board have banned the former Bermuda skipper until July 31 next year for verbally abusing umpire Hector Watson during the abandoned match between Bailey’s Bay and Willow Cuts last weekend.Romaine has admitted to committing the offence and is remorseful for his actions but feels his punishment is far too severe.“I am appealing basically because I have played cricket all around the world and for Bailey’s Bay for 23 years and never once been written up,” he said.“I am not saying I didn’t do anything wrong because I did and have owned up to it. But I think the ban is lengthy for someone going before the disciplinary committee for the first time.“I apologise to the umpires, to the fans and my team-mates.”As it stands the punishment will rule Romaine out of the entire MCC tour, which runs until October 5, Bermuda’s tour to Dubai for the World Twenty20 Qualifiers in March, and most of the 2012 domestic season.However, an appeal could allow Romaine to be available for tomorrow’s Twenty20 opener and Monday’s reunion of the 2007 World Cup squad who take on the MCC at Somerset.Bay skipper Stephen Outerbridge was also banned for failing to control Romaine, but his was only until Monday and just rules him out of the first game against the MCC tomorrow.In terms of games missed, Romaine’s ban is actually heavier than the one handed down to Deunte Darrell because Romaine is still a current member of the Bermuda squad.Darrell’s ban, which runs until September 2012, was for a year and followed his verbal outburst during the ill-tempered match between Devonshire Rec and Willow Cuts. That game was also abandoned.Darrell was still on probation for an earlier offence when he was punished while Romaine has a spotless 20-year record during which time he has never before appeared in front of the disciplinary committee.Committee chairman Allen Richardson said Romaine’s previous good record had been taken into account and while the punishment might appear harsher, the committee were not willing to start separating international and domestic cricket when it came to suspensions.“We didn’t even look at the games,” said Richardson. “There was no way we were going to say you can play international cricket because you’re really opening up Pandora’s Box then.“You can’t make that distinction, you really can’t, you have to be consistent.“It (the ban) is all cricket and we’ve already made that distinction and that’s why we’re sticking with the time as well.“There’s a possibility he may have been a part of the Twenty20 (squad), so what we looked at was the time factor, and with Deunte Darrell getting a year, technically he’s (Romaine) got half a year, really.“He warranted a year easily but because of his good record, he didn’t get a full year. It’s a serious offence, you don’t go cussing out an umpire. I don’t think people are going to look at the number of games he will miss because it’s about time.“If anything people will kick up because Darrell got a year and he got half a year.”