diff --git a/spring-batch-infrastructure-tests/src/test/java/org/springframework/batch/item/xml/AbstractStaxEventReaderItemReaderTests.java b/spring-batch-infrastructure-tests/src/test/java/org/springframework/batch/item/xml/AbstractStaxEventReaderItemReaderTests.java
index 2cd27be39..60694c7dc 100644
--- a/spring-batch-infrastructure-tests/src/test/java/org/springframework/batch/item/xml/AbstractStaxEventReaderItemReaderTests.java
+++ b/spring-batch-infrastructure-tests/src/test/java/org/springframework/batch/item/xml/AbstractStaxEventReaderItemReaderTests.java
@@ -10,10 +10,8 @@ import org.junit.After;
 import org.junit.Before;
 import org.junit.Test;
 import org.springframework.batch.item.ExecutionContext;
-import org.springframework.batch.item.xml.StaxEventItemReader;
 import org.springframework.batch.item.xml.domain.Trade;
 import org.springframework.core.io.ClassPathResource;
-import org.springframework.core.io.Resource;
 import org.springframework.oxm.Unmarshaller;
 import org.springframework.util.ClassUtils;
 
@@ -21,33 +19,36 @@ public abstract class AbstractStaxEventReaderItemReaderTests {
 
 	protected StaxEventItemReader<Trade> reader = new StaxEventItemReader<Trade>();
 
-	protected Resource resource = new ClassPathResource(ClassUtils
-			.addResourcePathToPackagePath(getClass(), "input.xml"));
-
 	@Before
 	public void setUp() throws Exception {
-
-		reader.setResource(resource);
-
 		reader.setFragmentRootElementName("trade");
-
 		reader.setUnmarshaller(getUnmarshaller());
-
 		reader.afterPropertiesSet();
-
-		reader.open(new ExecutionContext());
-
 	}
 
 	@Test
 	public void testRead() throws Exception {
+		reader.setResource(new ClassPathResource(ClassUtils.addResourcePathToPackagePath(getClass(), "input.xml")));
+		reader.open(new ExecutionContext());
 		Trade result;
 		List<Trade> results = new ArrayList<Trade>();
 		while ((result = reader.read()) != null) {
 			results.add(result);
 		}
 		checkResults(results);
+	}
 
+	@Test
+	public void testReadNested() throws Exception {
+		reader.setResource(new ClassPathResource(ClassUtils
+				.addResourcePathToPackagePath(getClass(), "input-nested.xml")));
+		reader.open(new ExecutionContext());
+		Trade result;
+		List<Trade> results = new ArrayList<Trade>();
+		while ((result = reader.read()) != null) {
+			results.add(result);
+		}
+		checkResults(results);
 	}
 
 	/**
@@ -85,7 +86,4 @@ public abstract class AbstractStaxEventReaderItemReaderTests {
 		reader.close();
 	}
 
-	public void setResource(Resource resource) {
-		this.resource = resource;
-	}
 }
diff --git a/spring-batch-infrastructure-tests/src/test/java/org/springframework/batch/item/xml/Jaxb2NamespaceUnmarshallingTests.java b/spring-batch-infrastructure-tests/src/test/java/org/springframework/batch/item/xml/Jaxb2NamespaceUnmarshallingTests.java
index da3de3c03..420009be9 100644
--- a/spring-batch-infrastructure-tests/src/test/java/org/springframework/batch/item/xml/Jaxb2NamespaceUnmarshallingTests.java
+++ b/spring-batch-infrastructure-tests/src/test/java/org/springframework/batch/item/xml/Jaxb2NamespaceUnmarshallingTests.java
@@ -31,17 +31,11 @@ public class Jaxb2NamespaceUnmarshallingTests {
 
 	@Before
 	public void setUp() throws Exception {
-
 		reader.setResource(resource);
-
 		reader.setFragmentRootElementName("{urn:org.springframework.batch.io.oxm.domain}trade");
-
 		reader.setUnmarshaller(getUnmarshaller());
-
 		reader.afterPropertiesSet();
-
 		reader.open(new ExecutionContext());
-
 	}
 
 	@Test
diff --git a/spring-batch-infrastructure-tests/src/test/resources/org/springframework/batch/item/xml/domain/trade.xsd b/spring-batch-infrastructure-tests/src/test/resources/org/springframework/batch/item/xml/domain/trade.xsd
index 902fbba34..49241340a 100644
--- a/spring-batch-infrastructure-tests/src/test/resources/org/springframework/batch/item/xml/domain/trade.xsd
+++ b/spring-batch-infrastructure-tests/src/test/resources/org/springframework/batch/item/xml/domain/trade.xsd
@@ -3,6 +3,12 @@
 	xmlns:tns="urn:org.springframework.batch.io.oxm.domain" xmlns:xs="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema"
 	elementFormDefault="qualified">
 
+  <xs:element name="records">
+  	<xs:complexType>
+  		<xs:choice minOccurs="0" maxOccurs="1"><xs:element name="trades"/></xs:choice>
+  	</xs:complexType>
+  </xs:element>
+
   <xs:element name="trades">
   	<xs:complexType>
   		<xs:choice minOccurs="0" maxOccurs="unbounded"><xs:element name="trade" type="tns:trade"/></xs:choice>
diff --git a/spring-batch-infrastructure-tests/src/test/resources/org/springframework/batch/item/xml/input-nested.xml b/spring-batch-infrastructure-tests/src/test/resources/org/springframework/batch/item/xml/input-nested.xml
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..86c0ce2a9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/spring-batch-infrastructure-tests/src/test/resources/org/springframework/batch/item/xml/input-nested.xml
@@ -0,0 +1,23 @@
+<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
+<records>
+	<trades>
+		<trade>
+			<customer>Customer1</customer>
+			<isin>XYZ0001</isin>
+			<price>11.39</price>
+			<quantity>5</quantity>
+		</trade>
+		<trade>
+			<customer>Customer2</customer>
+			<isin>XYZ0002</isin>
+			<price>72.99</price>
+			<quantity>2</quantity>
+		</trade>
+		<trade>
+			<customer>Customer3</customer>
+			<isin>XYZ0003</isin>
+			<price>99.99</price>
+			<quantity>9</quantity>
+		</trade>
+	</trades>
+</records>