LEARN your lessons quickly. That was the message to Kent's players from the county's director of cricket Graham Ford following the eight-wicket defeat to Sussex in their opening LV Championship match of the summer in Hove.

Though out-played for much of the game, Kent will point to moments in the 10 sessions of the match when they might have taken command, only for Sussex to fight back and regain the initiative.

When Simon Cook removed both Murray Goodwin and Chris Adams in the space of three balls in the Sussex first innings, Kent might have pushed on to limit the hosts to a reasonable lead.

As it was, Richard Montgomerie's limpet-like innings of 175, coupled with cameos from Rana Naved, James Kirtley and Chris Nash left Rob Key's side with too big a mountain to climb.

Ford said: "You always want to start the season on a high note and we had big expectations, but unfortunately they haven't been fulfilled and there's no doubt about the fact that we’ve been outplayed.

"There's been a good deal of healthy discussion in the dressing room about the performance and the way forward and the lads are showing some fight in wanting to improve on this display.

"When you look at the scoreline it looks like a real walloping, a defeat by a long, long way, but there were quite a few signs of good form without anyone really stamping their authority on the game.

"There were encouraging signs of performance which were good to see, but overall it was disappointing to be beaten."

As for the reigning champions Sussex, Ford had nothing but praise for their dominating performance.

Considering the hosts were without Robin Martin-Jenkins (flu) and Michael Yardy (broken finger), Saqlian Mushtaq has yet to qualify, that Naved only arrived in the country on Tuesday lunchtime, James Lewry has been off sick with a virus and Mushtaq Ahmed had hardly bowled since December, they still managed to wipe the floor with Kent.

Ford added: "Sussex are a good outfit and hats off to them. They really have performed well. The big hundred from 'Monty' made a huge difference and 'Mushy', as we well know by now, is a fantastic competitor and he never stopped attacking us.

"Rana reverse swung the ball brilliantly on the Friday. He really is a master of the art and he had it boomeranging at the end there. Those of the sort of lessons our lads need to learn pretty quickly."