Former skipper Rob Key admits it has been a frustrating season at Kent but insists he wants his illustrious career to finish with some silverware.

The ex-England opener posted his 50th First Class century against Northants last week, passing 1,000 runs for the season in the process, the seventh time he has done so.

Key told the Kent website he felt ‘refreshed’ after a season without the responsibility of captaincy but said: “It’s not been our best summer and the whole side is disappointed by that. It’s been a frustrating season, but I’ve just been able to concentrate on getting myself right and I’ve enjoyed that.”

Key claimed the 1,000-run milestone was harder to achieve than at any time in his career and said he was ‘delighted’ with his 50th First Class ton, which was swiftly followed by number 51 against Lancashire at Canterbury on Wednesday.

He said: “Batters only scrape a thousand runs in today’s game. No batter got a thousand runs in Division 2 last season. It is tougher to be a top-order batsman now than seven or eight years ago.”

He added: “I’m not one that thinks too much about career milestones, but I’m delighted to have passed it so that I can now focus again on scoring runs for Kent.

“I feel proud to have played for so long and for just the one county.”

He added: “I’ve been here for all of my career and it’s been good. It would be nice to finish by winning a few things. It’s my goal to win a Championship. It might take a while but that would be the icing on the cake for me.”

He added: “I guess how long I go on for depends on how the body holds up. There are no issues at the moment so, touch wood, I will play on for a good while yet.”