Sussex head coach Paul Farbrace said: “It is a hugely disappointing night. We haven’t been consistent in the last three games and haven’t played well enough.
“I was hugely disappointed in the last game against Kent. Tonight there were signs of improvements but we just weren’t smart enough.
“We are making poor decisions, finding ways to get ourselves out. There are too many people being caught playing unintelligent shots.
“I take full responsibility as we win as a team and lose as a team but the thing that we have to do is remember we still have three games to play in this competition.
“If we chuck the towel in and feel sorry for ourselves then we have no chance of winning at Hampshire on Sunday.
“We’ve got three games and know what we have to do. We have no option but to up our game, pump our chests out and go get stuck in at Hampshire.
“There is no point in having a long review tonight but there needs to be a disappointment that you find a way to respond to.
“Maybe some of our big players haven’t had the matches we needed them to have to allow us to have a real strength to our game.
“Hughes hasn’t scored a fifty this year and he was our top scorer last year. Robinson got loads of wickets up front last year and hasn’t managed that this year.
“We know we have good players. We know we have the skill. They are a very honest group and we aren’t hiding behind the schedule as everyone is in the same boat.”
Essex batter Michael Pepper said: “It is good to get a win under the belt. It has been a struggle recently so to get a win is a good feeling.
“I thought it was going to be a tough wicket to bat on up front with it seaming around but then get easier.
“It has been strange. The whole of the Blast I have felt good but not scored the runs I was hoping for.
“I had a chat with the batting coach earlier and we were saying that I have been caught at mid off a lot this year and hitting over mid off is one of my strengths.
“I don’t know if the pitches have been more tennis bally but I keep going to my strength and it clearly hasn’t worked so today I went the other way and used shots, the fast outfield and the pace in their attack and it was the best way to go.
“I just wanted to play strong shots and then when you get off to that sort of start you can capitalise on that.
“This was a complete team performance. It is frustrating because we know we can play like that. T20 is a funny game and finds a way of kicking you when you are down.”
Do the Sharks have a shortage of players? Despite the recent run of poor performances it seems to be the same underperforming eleven players selected to underperform each time. How long can Clarke go on scoring very few runs and still be selected?