The Connacht Council acted last night to resolve the fixtures deadlock in the province by moving back their club first-round fixture by a fortnight. This will allow Galway's football final, between All-Ireland club champions Corofin and An Ceathru Rua, to proceed next Sunday and the winners to face Ballina in the Connacht first round on Saturday week.

This represents a big reprieve for Galway who had failed to conclude their county championship on time despite a two-week extension granted by the provincial council. It isn't all good news for the eventual Galway winners as they will have to play all their matches in the province away from home.

The delay in the county championship was partly due to the county's historic success in the All-Ireland championship and partly to Galway's disinclination to punish two clubs for non-fulfillment of fixtures.

Tuam Stars and Dunmore McHales were both banned from the championship by the Galway Football board but were re-admitted by the full county board.

By insisting that their county final be played next Sunday, Galway were on a collision course with the Connacht Council who had been insisting that the match between Ballina and the Galway representatives proceed - also this Sunday.

The fact that both Corofin and An Ceathru Rua were blameless in the delayed Galway championship would have made any suspension of the eventual Galway champions a harsh punishment - particularly in a year when the two senior football All-Irelands had been won by Galway teams for the province for the first time ever and the first time in 32 years respectively.

Connacht Council have now avoided that embarrassment. Provincial secretary John Prenty said: "Maybe this isn't the perfect solution but we are happy that the matter is now resolved without any team having to be expelled."

The following statement was released by the council last night: "The Connacht Council Activities Committee agreed following consultations with all parties involved to amend the fixtures as follows in order to complete the club senior football championship in accordance with the original schedule.

"Saturday 21st November - first round - Ballina Stephenites v Galway champions, Ballina. Replay - Sunday 22nd November, Ballina. Sunday 6th December - semi-final - Eastern Harps v Winners Ballina/Galway champions, Markievicz Park. Replay - 13th December, Ballina/Markievicz Park. Sunday 13th/20th December - final. Replay: 20th December/to be arranged."

Meanwhile, Kilmacud Crokes defender Robbie Leahy is considering transferring to Tipperary under the GAA's parentage rule. A management source in Tipperary admitted the move was "a possibility" but the player himself is on honeymoon and unavailable for comment. Dublin county secretary John Costello said that he had received no official documentation on the transfer.

Leahy was a member of the Kilmacud team which won the 1995 All-Ireland club title and has had a number of runs for the Dublin team without nailing down a permanent place. Called into the panel before last year's championship meeting with Kildare, Leahy declined to become involved with the county this year.

An Taoiseach Bertie Ahern TD was guest of honour at yesterday's announcement of the UCD Gaelic Games club scholarships for this year. Eighteen players have received scholarships including two of Galway's All-Ireland winning team from September. Corner forward Derek Savage and centre back John Divilly - chairman of the UCD club - were named as recipients. Both won Sigerson Cup medals with the college in 1996.

Other notable inter-county players on the list are Ciaran McManus who won a NFL medal with Offaly last April and a Leinster SFC medal last year, Niall Collins, a member of Laois's All-Ireland winning minor team in 1997, who was helicoptered from his end-of-year Law exams last May in order to play for his county's under-21s in the All-Ireland final against Kerry in Limerick and Barry O'Donovan from Wicklow who was a final trialist with Ireland's International Rules panel and has also been a Leinster panellist.

There were three firsts among the awards: Marcella Price of Meath is the first women's footballer to be so honoured and Tipperary's Maeve Corcoran the first camogie player. Maghnus Breathnach, a member of the Colaiste Eoin side which reached the All-Ireland colleges final last spring, is the first dual player to be awarded a scholarship.