Monday's market moves

Ronaldo: Set to stay?

Sky Bet make Labour slight favourites at 8/11 to win the crucial Glasgow East by-election on July 24, with the Scottish National Party quoted at even money.

Should Labour lose their 13,507 majority in Scotland, Gordon Brown's future as party leader will be plunged further into doubt.

Sky Bet are offering odds on Brown's successor, with David Miliband heading the market at 3/1, followed by Health Secretary Alan Johnson and Justice Secretary Jack Straw, both priced at 5/1.

Sky Bet spokesman Steve Hart said: "A defeat in Brown's own backyard could well precipitate his departure from number ten, triggering a leadership contest fronted, we anticipate, by the likes of David Miliband and Alan Johnson."

Taylor odds-on

Following the draw for the World Matchplay, Sky Bet have installed Phil 'The Power' Taylor as 4/6 favourite to win the competition for the ninth time.

Defending champion James Wade is 5/1 second favourite with Dutch master Raymond van Barneveld third favourite at 7/1.

Having claimed his fourth Desert Classic title on Sunday, Taylor continues to be in scintillating form and Sky Bet have cut his odds of winning the December 2008 World Championship from 6/4 to 11/10.

Sky Bet are also offering odds on how many TV title wins Taylor will take this year and with three wins so far from a possible four, he is 9/4 to record six victories and 15/2 to win seven.

It's 11/1 for Taylor not to add to his tally again this year.

Crouch 2/1 to be Pompey top gun

Peter Crouch is set to quit Anfield for Fratton Park and Sky Bet are offering odds on how the England international will fare at Portsmouth six years after leaving the club.

The 27-year-old is 2/1 to be Portsmouth's top league scorer next season and is 6/4 to outscore potential strike partner, Jermain Defoe.

Crouch is 5/6 to score over nine goals in the top flight next season having notched five for Liverpool last term.

He is 12/1 to score a header against Chelsea in Pompey's opening game.

Ronaldo staying put

Sky Bet have cut Cristiano Ronaldo to just 4/11 to still be at Manchester United on the first day of the new season.

Real Madrid president Ramon Calderon told Marca on Sunday that the Portuguese winger staying at Old Trafford was "the most likely scenario" and he's now out to 2/1 to join the Spanish giants.

Sky Bet's PR Director, Dale Tempest, said: "Sir Alex Ferguson has not lost a player he's wanted to keep in 25 years and I don't see that happening now."

However, those who've backed Ronaldo to go shouldn't tear up their betting slips just yet.

Calderon gave the story yet another twist by saying in Monday's Sun newspaper that he would place a bet on Real signing him.

Two other clubs, Barcelona and Inter Milan, are listed in Sky Bet's market on where Ronaldo will be on the first day of the new Premier League season although both are big outsiders at 33/1.

O'Brien odds-on for record

Aidan O'Brien is just 1/4 with Sky Bet to break his 2001 record of 23 Group One victories in a year.

At this stage in 2001, O'Brien had scored only seven top level wins and has already had 12 this time around.

Sky Bet quote 6/1 for O'Brien to train exactly 23 Group One winners this year and 9/2 to fall short of his 2001 total.

Kim Ryder Specials

Anthony Kim won his second tournament of 2008 with victory at the AT&T National on Sunday and looks all but guaranteed a place on Paul Azinger's US Ryder Cup team.

Sky Bet offer 7/1 for the 23-year-old to be the USA's top points scorer in Kentucky and 25/1 for him to hole the winning putt.

The first American under 25 to win two PGA Tour events in the same year since Tiger Woods, Kim is 5/2 to win three or more official events this year 20/1 to win a major in 2008.

After finishing second at the French Open and playing well this week in Kent, Colin Montgomerie is coming back to form and Sky Bet have issued odds of 66/1 that Monty continues this streak and finishes in the top five (including ties) in both the Scottish Open at Loch Lomond and the Open Championship at Royal Birkdale.

Lewis fancied for most wins

Sky Bet have reacted to Lewis Hamilton's commanding Silverstone victory by chopping his odds of winning the World Championship from 3/1 to 11/8.

The Brit is also now 10/11 favourite to end the season with the most wins as he looks to build on victories in Australia and Monaco as the season progresses.

David Coulthard announced his retirement from Formula 1 last week and it's 20/1 that he records a 14th win before the end of the season and 200/1 that he goes out in the best possible way with victory in Brazil - the final race of the season.

Rubens Barrichello rolled back the years with a great drive onto the podium at Silverstone and is 7/1 with Sky Bet to repeat that feat again in 2008, while Hamilton can be backed at 33/1 to win another race by a minute or more this season.

Open Specials

With just ten days to go before the Open Championship gets under way at Royal Birkdale, Sky Bet have produced a variety of special markets on this year's tournament.

It's 100/1 for Sergio Garcia and Pádraig Harrington to contest a play-off in a repeat of last year's dramatic showdown while Garcia is 9/1 to lift the trophy and 10/1 to come second again.

In 1998, as a 17 year-old amateur playing in his first Open, Justin Rose sent the galleries wild by chipping in from 80 yards at the final hole. It's 33/1 for him to hole out from off the green on the 72nd hole this year and 25/1 for him to come fourth again.

More Sky Bet Open Specials:

No Playoff 1/4

A Playoff 11/4

Any Albatross 33/1

No Hole in One 4/7

Hole In One 5/4

Els Hole in One 80/1

Garcia Hole In One 80/1

Mickelson Hole in One 80/1

Left Handed Winner 14/1

Great Scot?

Andy Murray has climbed back into the world's top 10 and Sky Bet make him 1/2 to still be there in the year-end 2008 ATP Rankings.

It's 6/4 that Murray, currently ranked ninth, falls out of the top 10.

Murray is 10/11 to finish in the top 8 (4/5 not to).

Smith v Vaughan

The battle for supremacy between heavyweight captains Michael Vaughan and Graeme Smith is one of several potentially decisive factors in the upcoming Test series between England and South Africa.

And Sky Bet have responded by issuing odds on which skipper will score most runs over the four Tests and make Smith the 4/6 favourite and Vaughan the 11/10 outsider.

The first Test gets under way at Lord's on Thursday.