A glove having a hand portion, including dorsal and palmer regions, with a finger portion and thumb portion extending outwardly from the hand portion. A thumb crotch is disposed intermediate the thumb and finger portions. The thumb crotch includes a protective pad shaped to form a top wall and a side wall. A first section of the top wall is curved. An exterior surface of the dorsal region is made from a first material and at least the curved section of the thumb crotch's top wall is made from a second material which is different to the first material. Specifically, the second material has a higher coefficient of friction than the first material. The shape of the top wall and use of the second material improves the cradling and gripping characteristics of the glove.