YATTON Keynell rugby star Alex Crockett, and former Bath co-captain Michael Lipmman, have lodged appeals against the nine-month bans they received for missing two drugs tests.

Andrew Higgins, who was also suspended by the Rugby Football Union disciplinary panel on 3 August, has announced his retirement from rugby.

Higgins, 27, said he had become "profoundly disillusioned".

The three players were found to have failed to undertake drug tests as Bath investigated allegations of misconduct.

England international Lipman, 29, and 27-year-old Crockett - who were the co-captains of Bath last season - have appealed against both the decision of the RFU panel and its sanction.

Higgins, who insisted his only concern was to be cleared of using drugs, said he would retire from professional rugby to pursue other interests.

The trio resigned from the club in June, on the eve of an internal investigation into the missed tests.

Bath wanted to carry out the drugs tests after an end-of-season party in London on 10 May that ended in a fracas with Harlequins players.

Allegations that the three players had taken drugs were dropped at the start of the RFU hearing.

But the panel, chaired by Judge Jeff Blackett, said: "If the players had nothing to fear from taking a drugs test then they would have taken them."

Lipman has 10 England caps to his name and played 127 games for Bath.

Crockett, who has played for England Saxons, represented the club in 125 games scoring 21 tries, while Higgins scored 28 times in 111 appearances.