Devon cricket captain Neil Hancock has resigned after two years of leading the county side after taking a new job.

Hancock, Australian by birth but a resident in the UK for more than ten years, was the man Devon turned to after Bob Dawson stood down at the end of the 2009 season.

A hard-hitting batsman and lively fast bowler, Hancock appeared for Somerset in the early days of Twenty20 cricket and also featured for the Unicorns in the Clydesdale Bank Pro 40 series in 2010.

Devon won the Minor Counties Championship outright last season, but Hancock was not there when they defeated Cambridgeshire in the final at March Town in early September.

The final is a four-day affair and Hancock could not get the final day off work to play. He had hoped to play in the first three days and part of the fourth, but Devon would not pick him on that basis.

Bovey Tracey's Chris Bradley led Devon in Hancock's absence and is widely expected to take over as skipper for the season ahead. An announcement will be made on Friday.

It is no secret Hancock felt let down by the Devon committee when they decided not to pick him for the final. The only surprise is it has taken him this long to quit.

Whatever the tensions behind the scenes, Hancock and the county executive are not dwelling on them.

Hancock has said he is sad to be going, and Devon's chief executive Neil Gamble has praised him for his efforts.

"As captain of Devon for the past two years, I have enjoyed the responsibility very much," said Hancock.

"I have had the privilege of captaining a very talented group of cricketers, who gave me unconditional support and a fantastic team spirit. These two factors contributed hugely to Devon's success.

"I would like to record my thanks to my family, my employers, my team-mates and to the many friends who have supported me during my time as captain of my adopted county."

Gamble said: "After two years of leading Devon, which culminated in the outstanding achievement of winning the 2011 Minor Counties' Championship, Neil Hancock has sadly decided to step down as captain because of family and work commitments.

"The executive committee are grateful for the dedication and commitment Neil has shown both as a player and more recently as county captain during a period of renewed success for the club."

Hancock, 36 in April, has said it is unlikely he will feature as a player in future.