diff --git a/src/main/java/net/openhft/chronicle/wire/WireMarshaller.java b/src/main/java/net/openhft/chronicle/wire/WireMarshaller.java
index 8822626a4..ec288656a 100644
--- a/src/main/java/net/openhft/chronicle/wire/WireMarshaller.java
+++ b/src/main/java/net/openhft/chronicle/wire/WireMarshaller.java
@@ -1433,7 +1433,7 @@ protected void setValue(Object o, @NotNull ValueIn read, boolean overwrite) thro
                 Object object = null;
                 try {
                     object = read.object(using, type, false);
-                } catch (Exception e) {
+                } catch (ClassNotFoundRuntimeException e) {
                     // "Unhandled" Abstract classes that are not types should be null (Enums are abstract classes in Java but should not be null here)
                     if (using == null &&
                             Modifier.isAbstract(type.getModifiers()) &&
@@ -1441,6 +1441,7 @@ protected void setValue(Object o, @NotNull ValueIn read, boolean overwrite) thro
                             !type.isEnum() &&
                             !read.isTyped()) {
                         // retain the null value of object
+                        read.wireIn().bytes().readPosition(pos);
                         Jvm.warn().on(getClass(), "Ignoring exception and setting field '" + field.getName() + "' to null", e);
                     } else {
                         Jvm.rethrow(e);
diff --git a/src/test/java/net/openhft/chronicle/wire/AbstractUntypedFieldTest.java b/src/test/java/net/openhft/chronicle/wire/AbstractUntypedFieldTest.java
index 3806916b6..36ab759da 100644
--- a/src/test/java/net/openhft/chronicle/wire/AbstractUntypedFieldTest.java
+++ b/src/test/java/net/openhft/chronicle/wire/AbstractUntypedFieldTest.java
@@ -53,8 +53,9 @@ void beforeEach() {
     void typedFieldsShouldBeNonNull(Function<Bytes<byte[]>, Wire> wireConstruction) {
         final Bytes<byte[]> bytes = Bytes.from("" +
                 "!net.openhft.chronicle.wire.AbstractUntypedFieldShouldBeNull$Holder {\n" +
-                "  a: !AImpl {\n" +
-                "  }\n" +
+                "  \"a\": !AImpl {\n" +
+                "  }," +
+                "  \"b\": \"Impl\",\n" +
                 "}");
         final Wire textWire = wireConstruction.apply(bytes);
 
@@ -71,8 +72,9 @@ void typedFieldsShouldBeNonNull(Function<Bytes<byte[]>, Wire> wireConstruction)
     @MethodSource("provideWire")
     void untypedFieldsShouldBeNull(Function<Bytes<byte[]>, Wire> wireConstruction) {
         final Bytes<byte[]> bytes = Bytes.from("!net.openhft.chronicle.wire.AbstractUntypedFieldShouldBeNull$Holder {\n" +
-                "  a: {\n" +
-                "  }\n" +
+                "  \"a\": {\n" +
+                "  }," +
+                "  \"b\": \"Abstract\",\n" +
                 "}");
         final Wire textWire = wireConstruction.apply(bytes);
 
@@ -112,6 +114,7 @@ private static final class AImpl extends A {
     // Holder class to hold instances of type A
     private static final class Holder {
         A a;
+        String b;
     }
 
 }