It has recently been announced that Nick Hancock will step down as Plymouth Argaum Chairman at the end of the current 2020-21 season. Hancock, who has been in the role for seven years has made the difficult decision as he will be relocating to Cornwall later in the year. He explained, ‘Despite relocating I fully intend to stay with the club and continue playing but it was very difficult to balance that and a full-on administrative role such as Club Chairman. I'm particularly keen to be involved on the field as we have a bright future with Brett Stroud as head coach.'

Hancock’s tenure has been eventful as he, alongside Stuart Quarterman, oversaw Argaum’s RFU Club Accreditation and Incorporation and the running of the Bickleigh Down clubhouse. It was a family affair with wife Lucy also taking on roles as club treasurer and preparing after match meals.

His time on the field has been just as eventful after initially taking up the sport at the age of 43 in a bid to keep fit and enjoy the social aspect of the sport. The loose-head prop went on to become club skipper and a cornerstone of the Argaum pack as they won Devon Two and One in successive seasons as well as lifting the Ellis And Lockie Cups. He continued to play a large part during their four year spell in The Cornwall and Devon League. This combined, with his volunteering off the field saw Hancock named RFU Men’s Amateur Player of The Year in 2016, receiving his award at a glittering occasion at Twickenham. On the back of his award he then appeared on a Sky Sports Documentary which gained him the moniker ‘Hollywood Hancock’ from his team-mates, although no one could have written the script for the next chapter of his rugby career.

In February 2018, after a game against OPMs, Hancock suffered a heart attack and later spent several weeks in hospital as The Beast from The East disrupted operations at Derriford hospital. Eventually, after a successful triple heart bypass operation and a long battle back to fitness, he declared himself fitter than ever and proceeded to make a comeback to playing just a season later.

Hon Sec Richard Belli said, “Nick has literally put his heart and soul into this club and we are hugely appreciative of his work on and off the field over the last 10 years alongside wife Lucy. We are glad that he is staying involved with the club as a player where he is still performing well on the field, even though he’s a few months older than me! We’ll be having a club social later this summer where we hope to properly recognise Nick’s work and that of Stuart Quarterman, who stepped down from the Hon Secretary role at the end of last season.”

The club will be taking expressions of interest in the role ahead of an appointment at the AGM later in the summer.