READING Borough Council plan to spend £245,000 on ensuring that the cycling track at Palmer Park Stadium stays in prime condition over the next decade.

I now hope RBC will be equally generous in splashing their cash on other sports, many of which are arguably more popular with local residents.

The highly-successful Reading Athletic Club surely deserves better facilities and equipment than they have at present at the Wokingham Road venue.

The track also stages many schools’ athletic meetings, attracting hundreds of youngsters each summer.

Table tennis is enjoyed by many locals and a few years ago plans were drawn up to build an international class stadium in south Reading.

Whatever happened to that?

Reading Rockets are among the most successful basketball clubs in the country, but their usual base at Rivermead Leisure Complex is not always available, holding back their progress.

Building a new swimming pool is on the current RBC agenda, but it remains to be seen if it is adequate to accommodate all what Reading Swimming Club, Reading Royals Synchronised SC and Albatross Diving Club need to maintain their high level of competition.

Swimming, table tennis and basketball (not forgetting netball) are sports that can be enjoyed by Reading tax-payers all year-round – unlike track cycling.

And what about speedway and greyhound racing?

Next to Reading Football Club, these were once the best supported sports in the town with thousands packing into Smallmead Stadium – which closed in 2008 – to cheer on Reading Racers to league and cup honours with world champions in their side.

The thrice-weekly dog meetings also proved popular, pulling in hundreds of punters especially when races carried a prize pot of £20,000.

Compared to many towns, Reading is a long way down the list for providing a sufficient number of first-class sporting faculties for residents. A new cycling track is a step in the right direction, but it is the equivalent of the RBC only completing a sprint race when a marathon effort is required to turn the town into a champion in the sporting world.