The Zimbabwean first-class player was charged by the umpires when batting against Belvoir at Bunton Park on November 7.

Maruma played a lap-sweep against off-spinner Zac Simmonds, with the ball also hitting his helmet on the way up as wicketkeeper Nat Sariman waited to take the catch.

The umpires alleged the batsman made contact with Sariman, who still held the catch.

CAW handed down the hefty suspension last week, but North appealed the decision, with the hearing to be held in Wodonga on Wednesday night.

"If the penalty was done under Cricket Australia rules, he would have got a two-match suspension so we're quite bemused he received a six-match suspension," a clearly frustrated Hoppers' president Dale Paddle said.

It's extremely rare for a player in CAW in the past 20 years to receive a ban of that length.

"Tendai was crook on the Monday and Tuesday after so he's got a doctor's certificate for concussion," Paddle offered.

"We believe the panel didn't have that information when they made the decision and that has to be taken into account because concussion in sport is a serious issue these days.

"Even if they found that had no impact, which we believe it did, then obviously we'll be appealing the severity because it seems very extreme."

Generally speaking, cricket hearings don't attract the same public attention that a football tribunal might.

However, the Hoppers decision to use Maruma's concussion as a defence will generate enormous interest in the sporting community.

Paddle also revealed its import voluntarily stepped down from the coaching job after the St Patrick's game on October 17.

"He just wanted to focus on his cricket and he was finding it pretty hard to concentrate on coaching the side, he was just struggling a bit with his own game," Paddle suggested.

In his four games, Maruma had posted only 51 runs at 13, with a highest score of 30 (against Belvoir), but he'd had more success with the ball, snaring six wickets at 18.

"He did a great job for us in the pre-season, that's probably the best pre-season we've had a for a long time," Paddle added.

"He was never brought to the club to be a coach, he was just brought to be a player."

Last year's coach Tim Hartshorn was forced to stand down around six weeks before the season started with personal commitments and he only returned for his first game on October 31.

The Hoppers don't have an 'official' coach now, with senior players Brandon Purtell and Ryan Addison taking on the bulk of the work.

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Purtell's father Paul led a handful of sessions during the pre-season and the club is hoping he'll return on a more regular basis.

"If not, the guys will be able to get the job done."