Wary Steve Farmer takes a journey into the unknown when he carries Shropshire hopes into the PDC World Darts Championship tonight.

The 46-year-old thrower, from Hadley in Telford, meets German’s Kevin Munch in the second round of the Ladbrokes-backed £1m tournament.

At stake is a place in the last 16 and a guaranteed £15,000 in prize money.

Farmer is in fine spirits following his shock 3-2 victory over world No 13 and former Premier League star Ronnie Baxter in the first round last Saturday.

But he admits he is uncertain of quite what to expect from the unheralded Munch, who had to win the German qualifier and a preliminary round game to reach the first round proper, in which Denis Ovens withdrew with a back injury.

“I would have preferred to play Denis because I have played him a few times and know what to expect,” said Farmer, who was a landscape gardener before dedicating himself to darts around five years ago.

“I don’t know anything about Kevin but everyone who goes up on that stage is a good player.”

Farmer believes the longer format for the second round – it moves to best of seven sets from best of five – will play into his hands following an intense fitness regime which has seen him shed four-and-a-half stone.

“The longer it goes, the better I should get so hopefully that will work in my favour,” he added.

Farmer’s clash with Munch is the third and final second round game on stage tonight, with an estimated start of shortly before 10pm.