Using "as much as" at start of sentence

Is it correct to use "as much as" at the start of the sentence?
For example:

As much as I like cricket, I like football.

Is it correct?

I didn't find any reference which suggest to use it that way, but only as a conjunction as in this sentence:

I like football as much as I like cricket

No, it is incorrect.

"As much as" in the beginning of a sentence is used to qualify what you do like/dislike about the statement that comes after, i.e. the first part will be A and the second part will qualify/quantify something in conflict with A

As much as I like cricket, I dislike the waiting between innings

As much as I am afraid of spiders, I love nature

Your second sentence is a correct comparison denoting you like both equally well

I like football as much as I like cricket

UPDATE

The As may be optional, more so in British English

than US

Just to add a remark to mplungjan's post.

The restrictive conjunction "as much as + clause" at the beginning of a sentence is often shortened to " Much as" - Much as I like my little sister she can sometimes be a pest.

I think this is used in British English whereas in American novels you can find "as much as". But I have not verified this.