Probably the first thing to say is that, as far as averages are concerned, darts matches essentially fall into one of three categories. They may be broadcast live, streamed live or neither, such that, in the latter case, averages are based on anecdotal evidence provided by a person, or people, who witnessed the match in question. The second is that, following the demise of the British Darts Organisation (BDO), which went into liquidation in September, 2020, the three-dart average, or points per round (PPR), as popularised by the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC), is the most common and meaningful metric.
Three-dart averages in televised matches are obviously the easiest to verify and the world record holder in that respect is Dutch professional Michael van Gerwen. On February 25, 2016, van Gerwen defeated Englishman Michael Smith 7-1 in a Premier League match in Aberdeen, Scotland, achieving a three-dart average of 123.40 in the process. Three years later, on October 14, 2019, in a quarter-final match live streamed from the Barnsley Metrodome at Players Championship 29, Scotsman Peter Wright defeated Polander Krzysztof Ratajski 6-0, averaging a monstrous 123.53.
Anecdotally, though, the highest three-dart average ever recorded in a professional darts match was achieved by the late Kyle Anderson, who tragically died from kidney failure in August, 2021, aged just 33. On April 12, 2015, the Australian defeated Englishman Terry Jenkins 6-1 in Players Championship 5 – again at the Barnsley Metrodome but, at the time, part of the non-televised PDC Pro Tour series of tournaments – courtesy of a remarkable 134.84 average. Anderson reportedly required 10 darts, three times, 11, 12 and 15 darts to win his six legs and was on a finish of 46 after nine darts in the only leg he lost.