Now the square has been cleared, turf will be relaid before it reopens to the public.
The only approach was up a funnel-shaped stretch of open turf that gave them a clear field of fire to repulse any counterattack.
But when a large enough space appeared, it became clear that this turf battle would not always be easy.
The landing strips are often nothing more than uneven swaths of turf, cleared of sheep by the first vehicle to arrive before a flight.
At 15-0, Federer wrong foots Nadal, and the Spaniard - who twisted his knee against Mikhail Youzhny in the fourth round, if you remember - briefly crumples to the Centre Court turf, in clear pain.
The thousands of cast were cued and co-ordinated by verbal directions received through earphones ('in-ear monitors'), and adjustments were made during the performance: for example during Pandemonium extra volunteers were directed to make sure all the turf was cleared from the arena on time.
The beachcombers wave and chitchat but, with their competitive instincts primed, they steer clear of one another's turf, keeping a sharp eye out for dots or spirals or telltale lumps in the sand.
But for all the talk by Iraqi government officials about breaking the back of the militias, and the militants' bluster about defending their turf, it was clear that the two sides had much to lose if they were unable to reach an accommodation, however temporary or expedient.
That turf, Ballmer makes clear, includes software for large networks of desktop PCs, software for wallet-size computers and other portable devices, software for television set-top boxes, software for automobiles, software for every market, it seems, not already monopolized by Microsoft.
Mike Feuer, turf rebate recipient, steers clear of DWP records lawsuit.
