Renshaw began playing club cricket for Oxton,[1] and later attended the University of Leeds, where he came to the attention of Yorkshire.
[4] Whilst attending the University of Leeds, Renshaw was selected to represent the Combined Universities cricket team in 1995, making his debut in first-class cricket for the team against the touring West Indians at Oxford,[5] with Brian Lara scoring five fours from one of Renshaw's overs.
[8] He also made five one-day appearances for Hampshire in the 1996 Axa Equity & Law League, having played for Cheshire earlier in the season against Northamptonshire in the first round of the NatWest Trophy.
[10] With the signing of fast bowler Alan Mullally from Leicestershire for the 2000 season, Renshaw once again found his first team opportunities limited.
[17] Renshaw returned to play minor counties cricket for Cheshire in 2001, making five appearances in that season's Minor Counties Championship and one appearance in the MCCA Knockout Trophy;[3][18] additionally during his first season back at Cheshire, he made a single List A one-day match against Cornwall at Camborne in the second round of the 2001 Cheltenham & Gloucester Trophy.
[4] In stark contrast to his first-class career, Renshaw's second-spell with Cheshire saw him excel as a batsman, particularly in 2002, when he scored 340 runs from seven innings, at a batting average of 56.66.