Downcast Kent skipper Rob Key accused his side of 'brainless batting' after Saturday's five-wicket defeat to Essex in the final of the Friends Provident Trophy at Lord's.

At the end of the game Key marched back alone toward the players' gate at the historic St John's Wood Test venue, leaving his team-mates to shake hands out in the middle with victorious Essex batsmen Ryan Ten Doeschate (30) and man-of-the-match Grant Flower (70).

Key was still fuming 20 minutes later at the post-match press conference when he said the squad had let themselves down, yet again, on another big occasion.

Key said: "Losing isn't great, even when you've given all you can give and you just come up short, but when you play that badly with the bat it's a waste of time turning up.

"All the build up and you go and bat like that. It's a joke.

"We were just brainless weren't we? I know it is hero or villain out there, and if you hit it for four or six people would have clapped but we didn't.

"It was a tough wicket, but how many of us got out defending? Not many.

"I just think we weren't very smart today. The whole thing in one-day cricket is to assess conditions as quickly as you can and try and work out what a good score is. You also try and work out if you can take a punt against a bowler if necessary or if you hang in there a little bit.

"I know we all want to go out there and hit it for four or six, but sometimes you have to settle for 250 or even 230.

"I think 240 would have been a decent score. It probably wasn't the greatest toss to win, but it still didn't become a flat one."

As for his side's disappointing display in the field, Key added: "We didn't bowl well enough with the new ball. We bowled no balls and wides and you can't be giving away 20-plus extras when you've only scored 214.

"You have to think on your feet a little bit in this game and that's what hurts the most really. All the games you play to get to the final then you play your worst one on the big day, that's so disappointing.

"If you put your best game, you're 'A' game out there then I wouldn't mind so much, but it was poor planning and poor execution today.

"I thought Robbie Joseph and Ryan McLaren bowled really well, in fact Ryan was outstanding all match. His fielding was immense and he just rose to the occasion.

"Robert also did well for me. There are not too many bowlers in domestic cricket that you can set two or three slips to in the 25th over of a one-day game. But they were just surviving against him and all credit to him."

Kent have 48 hours to pick themselves up. They return to action on Monday afternoon with a NatWest Pro40 League clash against Derbyshire in Canterbury on Monday.