Luke Littler Closes in on Gary Anderson as Astonishing 105+ Average Milestone Looms
Luke Littler is poised to surpass Gary Anderson in one of darts’ most prestigious statistical categories, sitting just one 105+ average away from matching the two-time world champion’s remarkable tally despite having played professionally for less than three years.
The Remarkable Pursuit
Anderson, a full-fledged PDC member since 2009 and one of the sport’s all-time greats, has accumulated 32 averages of 105 or higher in televised ranking events across his illustrious career. Littler, who burst onto the scene in January 2024, already has 31—a staggering achievement that underscores both his exceptional talent and the relentless consistency that has made him the world’s number one player.
The 19-year-old’s World Masters triumph added another chapter to this pursuit, with his 104.72 average in the final against Luke Humphries falling just short of the magical 105 mark. However, given Littler’s current form and packed schedule ahead, it’s not a question of if he’ll overtake Anderson, but when.
“Despite only going into his third full season as a member of the PDC, the 19-year-old has already achieved so much in such a short space of time,” observers noted following the Masters victory. “No one looks to be catching him any time soon not just in the rankings, but on the oche as he continues to defeat the world’s best with some scintillating performances.”
The Context of Greatness
What makes Littler’s pursuit of Anderson particularly remarkable is the timeframe. Anderson has had 17 years at elite level to accumulate his 32 105+ averages, competing across multiple eras, facing every generation of great players, and maintaining excellence well into his fifties. Littler has matched that pace in barely two years of professional competition.
The teenager’s rise has been meteoric in every measurable way, but his consistency at producing tournament-winning averages represents perhaps the most telling indicator of sustained dominance. Wayne Mardle captured this perfectly when analyzing Littler’s form: “I think this is what Luke Littler does. All the standards he produces are similar. He normally averages 103, 104, 105 for events. Of course, the odd game creeps in with 97 or 98 but then the odd 110 does to counterbalance that. This is his standard.”
That standard—routinely producing averages that would represent career highlights for most players—has allowed Littler to accumulate 105+ performances at an unprecedented rate. While Anderson took nearly two decades to reach 32, Littler threatens to overtake him before his twentieth birthday.
The All-Time Leaderboard
The complete picture of this statistical category reveals the sport’s hierarchy across generations:
- Phil Taylor – 96 averages of 105+
The undisputed king of darts excellence, Taylor’s 96 performances at 105 or higher will likely stand forever as a benchmark of sustained brilliance. Having retired after the 2018 World Championship, The Power’s tally cannot be surpassed, representing the accumulated work of a career spanning three decades at the sport’s pinnacle. - Michael van Gerwen – 73 averages of 105+
The Dutch phenomenon remains the active leader and continues to add to his total, though his pace has slowed compared to his peak years between 2014-2019. Van Gerwen’s 73 stands as a testament to his own era of dominance, and while Littler is gaining rapidly, MVG’s substantial lead means it will take years before the teenager threatens this position. - Gary Anderson – 32 averages of 105+
The Flying Scotsman’s 32 represents excellence sustained across multiple competitive eras. Anderson’s ability to produce these performances from his PDC debut through his mid-fifties showcases both his technical brilliance and remarkable longevity. His 2018 and 2019 World Matchplay victories came during peak years where his averages regularly exceeded 105. - Luke Littler – 31 averages of 105+
The teenager sits one behind Anderson despite being in only his third season as a PDC professional. His 11 major titles have been built on a foundation of consistently elite averages, with tournament performances rarely dipping below 103-104. The momentum suggests Anderson’s position is temporary. - Four-way tie – Peter Wright, Gerwyn Price, Adrian Lewis, Luke Humphries
These four elite players queue up behind Littler, each having produced numerous 105+ performances across distinguished careers. The fact that Littler has already surpassed three former world champions and sits level with a fourth underscores the historical nature of his statistical dominance.
Humphries’ World Masters Surge
While Littler dominates headlines, Luke Humphries quietly added three more 105+ averages to his tally during the World Masters weekend, demonstrating why he remains the second-best player in the world despite losing the number one ranking.
Humphries averaged 105 against Luke Woodhouse in a thrilling nine-dart finish victory, 107.8 in demolishing Gian van Veen 5-0 in the semi-finals, and 105.51 in the heartbreaking final defeat to Littler. Those three performances in a single weekend showcased Humphries operating at an elite level—yet still falling short when facing Littler’s slightly superior 104.72 in the final.
The cruel irony wasn’t lost on observers: Humphries produced arguably his best weekend of darts in recent memory, threw a perfect leg, didn’t drop a set in two matches before the final, and still left Milton Keynes without the trophy. When 105+ isn’t enough to win, it crystallizes exactly why Littler has become seemingly unbeatable.
The Historical Significance
Anderson’s 32 105+ averages represent a career measuring stick that separates elite players from all-time greats. To consistently produce tournament performances at or above 105 requires not just talent but sustained excellence across years of competition, mental fortitude to perform under pressure, and the physical consistency to repeat technical perfection thousands of times per match.
Consider what a 105 average actually requires: winning each leg in approximately 15 darts, hitting numerous 180s, maintaining scoring consistency across all three darts per throw, and converting doubles at a high percentage. Most professional players will produce a handful of such performances across entire careers. Anderson has done it 32 times. Littler has matched that pace in less than two years.
The comparison also highlights different eras of the sport. Anderson’s 32 came across a period where 105 averages were exceptional rarities—reserved for only the very best on their absolute peak days. Taylor and van Gerwen’s dominance normalized such performances, but they remained extraordinary achievements.
Littler’s era has seen an explosion of high averages across the sport, with depth of talent producing more 105+ performances than ever before. Yet even accounting for improved equipment, better practice facilities, and a deeper talent pool, Littler’s pace of accumulation stands out as historically unprecedented.
What Comes Next
The Premier League, which begins February 5 in Newcastle, offers Littler immediate opportunities to overtake Anderson. The weekly 17-leg format produces plenty of opportunities for elite averages, and Littler has demonstrated particular dominance in this competition—winning the title on debut in 2024 before finishing runner-up to Humphries in 2025.
Beyond the Premier League, Littler’s schedule includes European Tour events, the World Series swing, and eventually the European Championship in Dortmund—the only major title missing from his collection. Each tournament represents multiple chances to add 105+ performances to his tally.
At his current trajectory, Littler could realistically surpass Wright, Price, Lewis, and Humphries to claim outright fifth place by mid-season. Van Gerwen’s 73 seems distant but achievable over the course of a full career. Taylor’s 96 remains the ultimate target—requiring another decade-plus of sustained excellence to approach.
Anderson’s Perspective
Interestingly, Anderson himself has downplayed suggestions that modern players represent a step-change improvement over previous generations. “The level has not gone up,” he told talkSPORT. “It’s the same as what us old lads are still hitting. It’s just that there are more of them. Before, you maybe had 20 players who could hit a 100 or 105 average. Now you have 128.”
Anderson’s assessment offers perspective on Littler’s achievements. The Flying Scotsman argues that while more players can now produce elite averages, the ceiling hasn’t necessarily risen—Littler is simply operating at that ceiling with remarkable frequency at an unprecedented age.
“So, I would not say they are getting any better than us, or better in terms of averages,” Anderson added. “There are just more players who can hit them.”
Whether Anderson’s analysis fully captures Littler’s dominance is debatable. The teenager isn’t just producing occasional 105+ averages—he’s doing it with such regularity that observers now expect it as his baseline. That consistency, combined with his clutch performances when behind or under pressure, suggests something beyond simply being part of a deeper talent pool.
The Immediate Future
Littler’s next competitive action comes Thursday at Newcastle’s Utilita Arena for the Premier League opener. The venue will be packed with fans eager to see if the world champion can continue his remarkable form following the World Masters triumph.
Given that Littler averaged 105.35 in his World Championship semi-final victory over Ryan Searle and has produced a string of elite performances throughout recent tournaments, it seems inevitable that his 32nd 105+ average will arrive sooner rather than later.
When it does, Littler will stand alone in third place on this exclusive leaderboard, having surpassed a two-time world champion who spent 17 years accumulating his tally. The teenager will have achieved the feat before turning 20 years old, in less than three full seasons as a professional.
From there, the pursuit of van Gerwen’s 73 and eventually Taylor’s 96 becomes the long-term project—one that will define whether Littler’s career proves historically unprecedented or simply exceptionally impressive.
The Broader Implications
Littler’s statistical dominance extends far beyond just 105+ averages. His 11 major titles place him joint-third all-time alongside James Wade. His win rate at televised ranking majors—37 wins in his last 38 matches—approaches invincibility. His nine different majors won leaves only the European Championship to complete the full set before age 20.
Each statistic tells the same story: a generational talent operating at a level rarely seen in professional darts, combining technical brilliance with psychological resilience and competitive consistency. The 105+ average milestone simply provides another quantifiable measure of excellence, one where Littler’s pace of achievement borders on the absurd.
Gary Anderson’s 32 took a Hall of Fame career to accumulate. Luke Littler will surpass it before most people his age have finished university. That juxtaposition captures both the Flying Scotsman’s enduring excellence and the teenage sensation’s unprecedented trajectory.
The milestone looms. The record will fall. And then Littler will move onto the next target, the next achievement, the next chapter in what’s rapidly becoming one of the greatest careers professional darts has ever witnessed.
At just 19 years old, with decades of competition potentially ahead, the question isn’t whether Littler can catch Anderson, Wright, Price, Lewis, or even Humphries in this statistical category.
The question is how far up the all-time leaderboard he can ultimately climb—and whether even Michael van Gerwen’s 73 represents anything more than a temporary target on the road to challenging Phil Taylor’s seemingly untouchable 96.
For now, though, 32 awaits. Gary Anderson’s mark. The next milestone in an unprecedented journey. Coming soon to a dartboard near you.
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